In his recent letter addressed to U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Eduard Polatov, Secretary of the Coordinating Council of Authorized Representatives of refugees, political, religious and national groups, called on the U.N. to pursue a coherent policy of protecting the national minorities residing in Azerbaijan. Polatov informed journalists of the letter on December 13.

In his letter addressed to the U.N. December 9, Polatov writes that the Azeri authorities’ assurances that a dozen national minorities residing in the country have no problems are mere deception.

“The national minorities of Azerbaijan are afraid of telling their nationality an even speak their native language. The authorities are pursuing a policy of understating the number of national minorities. Where are the one million Lezghins and Kurds, who are afraid of telling their nationality, but say they are Azeris?” Polatov asked.