Protection of minority rights effectively ensured in Azerbaijan
Baku, June 27 (AZERTAC). Vice-chairperson of the Milli Majlis standing committee for international relations and interparliamentary ties Sevinj Fataliyeva has made remarks on the topic “Identities and diversity within intercultural societies” discussed on the third day of PACE summer session.
Noting the existence of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan for centuries, Fataliyeva said this was not only the state policy, but also the lifestyle in the country. “Historically the Muslims, Christians, Jews and fire-worshippers have lived here side-by-side and in peace.” “Protection of minority rights has been effectively and fairly ensured in Azerbaijan. There has never been a phobia against any nation here. But, Armenia is a mono-national country. Before the aggression against Azerbaijan, tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis lived in Armenia. And as a result of ethnic cleansing, Armenia was quickly and massively isolated.”
She said: “Today not a single Azerbaijani lives there. The number of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh was high in comparison to Azerbaijanis. They lived in Azerbaijan freely and without any danger, and nevertheless, demanded privileges. The Armenians living in Nagorno Karabakh, in fact, forced every Azerbaijani to leave their homes, and tortured them. And thus, they deprived Azerbaijanis of their basic rights, ousting them from their historical lands. This is a slight part of their doings.”
“Taking into account the abovementioned, we have to strengthen our efforts to seriously ensure protection of the minority rights and resolutely combat negative tendencies that impact on the development of intercultural societies,” Fataliyeva emphasized.
Other news in this section
