Strasbourg, April 19, AZERTAC

The time for the latest military provocation of Armenia against Azerbaijan wasn't chosen accidentally while Azerbaijan was trying to build close relations with European institutions, said Samad Seyidov, Azerbaijani MP, head of the Azerbaijani Delegation to PACE.

He made the remarks during the debate on the report on the activities of the PACE Bureau and Standing Committee on the first working day of the Assembly’s spring session.

“It was noted in speeches here that Azerbaijan has made a number of advancements recently. The lifting of all restrictions imposed on NGOs, the implementation of liberal economic reforms and others steps aimed at strengthening ties between Azerbaijan and Europe are continuing, which is a very important factor for Azerbaijan’s future in the Council of Europe as well,” the MP said.

“But you need to know that the timing of the military provocation committed by Armenia against Azerbaijan is no coincidence,” he added.

Armenia resorted to military provocation while Azerbaijan was trying to build close ties with the West, Seyidov stressed.

“I’m sure that if we listen to the aggressor and not punish the criminals, then it will be impossible to achieve positive results and prevent reoccurrence of new tragedies,” he said. “If the report proposed at the PACE winter session was approved, then all this would not have happened.”

“Unfortunately, the disapproval of the report opened a door to the Armenian militarism,” he added.

Armenia pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the MP recalled.

“At present, no Azerbaijani is living in Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories, as well as in Armenia. However, there are more than 30,000 Armenians in Azerbaijan,” the Azerbaijani MP said.

All these provocations have one goal - to show the disparity between the Azerbaijanis and Armenians, he said. “This is not true, and we have always stood for peace. I propose you to bring together our Azerbaijani and Armenian colleagues, as well as the Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Azerbaijanis expelled from there. In this way, you can try to find a peaceful solution to the conflict,” the MP concluded.