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Azerbaijan to raise issue on Russiaâ€™s arms supply to Armenia in NATO Parliamentary Assembly

19 January 2009 13:17 (UTC +04:00)

Arms are given to be used, not to be collected in the cellar. How can it happen that Russia mediates in the settlement of the conflict and arms one of the sides? Russia should respect its signature as the member of the UN Security Council,â€ first vice-speaker of parliament, chairman of the parliamentâ€™s standing commission on security and defense issues, head of Azerbaijani delegation to NATO Parliamentary Assembly Ziyafat Asgarov told APA exclusively. He said four resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council on withdrawal of Armenian troops from Azerbaijani territory and the statement made by the UN General Assembly in March, 2008 recognized Azerbaijanâ€™s territorial integrity.
â€œI mention it because Russia is the permanent member of the UN Security Council. Why doesnâ€™t Russia respect its signature, if it signed this document as the permanent member of the UN Security Council?â€ he said.

Ziyafat Asgarov noted that Russia was one of the co-chairs of OSCE Minsk Group on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He said it was not clear why Russia supplied Armenia with arms, while the declaration was signed on the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict in Moscow on November 2 last year.
â€œSuch cases cast shadow on Russiaâ€™s sincerity in its activity as OSCE Minsk Group co-chair. Besides, this is not the first time. Russia supplied Armenia with arms worth $1 billion during Boris Yeltsinâ€™s presidency, in the second half of the 90s of the past century. I am sure that it happens regularly. These actions are not in line with the friendship between Azerbaijan and Russia,â€ he said.

The first vice speaker emphasized that Russia stated about its friendly relations with Azerbaijan for many times. He noted that unfortunately there are such cases which shadow the mutual relations. â€œWords and actions should coincide with each other. Russia must deeply realize its responsibility for this issue. In any case it is an armament. There is no difference if they present it, sell or exchange with any property in Armenia. Russia has not to commit such action if it takes mission of mediation in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijanâ€.

Asgarov expressed opinion about the rejection of Russian co-chair in the OSCE Minsk Group. â€œI donâ€™t support rejection of co-chair by any country in current situation. As it is the OSCE Minsk Groupâ€™s activity does not bring positive results. I am not sure that new mediator will change anything. All three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are permanent members of the UN Security Council. If these three countries-permanent members of the UN Security Council couldnâ€™t achieve any result, I donâ€™t believe that other countries will achieve itâ€.

Asgarov thinks that the mediators should protect their neutral position at first. â€œHow they can be neutral if they voted for Armenia during the UN General Assembly discussions over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict? We have to be interested in deepening friendship and cooperation with these countries and at the same time to say own wordsâ€.

Asgarov said the issue would be raised in the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Oslo in May, 2009 and everything would depend on specification of the fact. â€œThe ministries of foreign affairs and defense are specifying the issue now. Depending on the results of these specifications, we will seriously raise the issue before the NATO Parliamentary Assemblyâ€.

The first vice speaker touched upon the recent developments too. In his opinion, some countries intend to turn the international law into the law of power. â€œIt can not be allowed. If it is going on such way, it will be difficult to imagine the future of world orderâ€.