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YEREVAN. - It is apparent that Azerbaijan has become entangled in its positions and needs help to get out of that situation.

Armenian FM Edward Nalbandian said the aforementioned at the meeting with the representatives of 27 countries during the 8th Pan-Armenian Forum of Journalists. The Armenian Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan also attended the meeting.

Welcoming the Diaspora journalists, FM Nalbandian underscored the importance of holding meetings in such a format, since that allows to directly inform the compatriots residing abroad on the foreign policy of Armenia.

Nalbandian presented the priorities of Armenia’s diplomacy, specifically Armenia’s guiding role in the Genocide condemnation and prevention of new crimes against humanity.  He also referred in great detail to the process of the Karabakh conflict settlement, the developments in the Middle East, Syrian crisis and, in that context, the support provided to Syrian Armenians.

Referring to the resolution of the Karabakh issue, the FM noted: “I have said about this before, but after getting familiarized with the recent statements made by Baku, I have to reiterate that Azerbaijan has lost its sense of reality. It has lost it to such an extent that they are [now] trying to present the myths made up for domestic use not only to their own society, but also to the international community.

Baku insists that it is ready for mutual concessions. Which are the concessions according to the Azerbaijani side? The ensurance of the Nagorno-Karabakh security and the peaceful co-existence between the two people, as they propose? This already sounds like a threat rather than a concession: there will be no peace if you don’t do what we say. [Or] provision of autonomy? Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has exerted no control over Nagorno-Karabakh, especially today. And now it is proposing autonomy under its control, presenting this as a concession? That is, it is proposing as a concession something that Artsakh currently has in a much greater amount.

In their recent statements, the Azerbaijani leadership insists that the proposals of the three Co-Chairs are in line with their positions. But only a few days before these statements, the Azerbaijani President confessed that the international community is forcing him to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh independence, but he is opposing. If the positions are so much in line with each other, it is necessary to recognize the independence of Artsakh and not oppose it.

Apparently, Azerbaijan has become entangled in its positions and needs help to get out of that situation. To solve the conflict, Azerbaijani should accept the international mediation assistance, which the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship – Russia, United States and France – is offering.

The heads of the co-chairing states have expressed their positions on the Karabakh conflict in the well-known five statements. If they are in line with Azerbaijan’s stance why has Baku so far been doing its best to not only avoid considering as a basis of the negotiations the principles and elements enshrined in those statements as a single whole,   but also despises to make any reference to them, as during the Riga Summit of the Western Partnership, which the Azerbaijani delegation merely escaped.

Six months after Azerbaijan’s April aggression, Baku suddenly makes up a new myth on who unleashed the military actions, grossly violated the international humanitarian law and committed barbarities, trying to accuse the Armenian side of everything which they continuously boasted about through media outlets, social networks and by bestowing high awards upon the authors of those crimes.

One gets an impression that a competition of telling lies and confusing their own society has been announced among the Azerbaijani top officials. But we all know who always comes out as a winner in such competitions in Azerbaijan.

But currently the Azerbaijani leadership is disseminating its mythology not only in regard to the Karabakh conflict.

According to Baku, Azerbaijan respects all the democratic norms without exception. For instance, the civil society is prospering. But the UN Special Rapporteur turns out not to be of the same opinion: in late September he announced that the Azerbaijani civil society is paralyzed and has appeared in the worst situation since the [country’s] independence.  Of course, many other references can be made from the [statements of] international organizations regarding the shameful reality of Azerbaijan in human rights issues.

[For instance,] Baku thinks the press in their country enjoys complete freedom. However, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Azerbaijan is included in the top ten most criticized countries of the world. Moreover, it occupies the ‘honorable’fifth place. According to the world press freedom index, Azerbaijan comes 163rd among 179 countries. 

The Azerbaijani leaders are fond of reiterating that they are building a multi-cultural, multi-religion society based on tolerance. How comparable is this with the subsequent 2016 report of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), which expressed deep concern both about state-level anti-Armenian hate propaganda and the discrimination against Azerbaijan’s ethnic and religious minorities?

The Azerbaijani leadership’s favorite balloon on economy also popped up last year when its economy was seriously affected as a result of the drop in oil and gas prices, while the national currency, manat, recorded the greatest drop according to Bloomberg agency. That is, Azerbaijan was sitting on the gas and oil needle, the needle poked that balloon and the air slowly went out. That is the whole success glorified by them.

After this I think there is no need to ask who can believe these falsifications.”

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