YEREVAN. – The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, expressed the hope that the participants in the Seventh Forum of the United Nations (UN) Alliance of Civilisations, which will be convened in the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku, will show integrity.

During his joint Yerevan news conference Friday with  Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Nalbandian once again presented Armenia’s position on this event.

“The forum seeks to protect high universal values,” he stressed. “It’s not right to hold such a forum in a country where they are grossly violated.”

Also, the FM recalled the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement regarding this forum, and the absence of consensus to adopt a respective document in this event.

“I hope those who could not refuse from participation [in this forum] will find courage to appropriately criticize the policy of this country’s authorities toward Armenians, [and] the barbarism committed a few kilometers away from the forum venue,” Edward Nalbandian added.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who planned to likewise attend this event, on Thursday unexpectedly canceled his scheduled visit to the South Caucasus.