Armen Ashotyan notices that anti-Armenian propaganda in Azerbaijan is an indisputable fact and is quite active
During the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly in Baku, the Armenian delegation, including Chairman of the RA National Assembly Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Ashotyan, as the head of the delegation, and MP Mane Tandilyan, made a press conference. Armen Ashotyan told Aravot.am that the press conference lasted long, the attention towards the Armenian delegation was evident, there were a large number of journalists.
«The questions were sharp, and our answers were adequate. Azerbaijani media tried to manipulate the issue of internally displaced persons, presenting inflated figures, speaking about their problems and rights. I had to remind them that my forefathers from my mother’s side were from this town, and Baku once was a multinational city where Armenians, Greeks, Jews, and Russians participated in the creation of the city. Armenian traces still can be observed in Baku. It is a historical and cultural heritage created by our compatriots over the years”, said Armen Ashotyan during our talk.
He stated that the Azerbaijani press presented his answers in favor of its propaganda machine, but the video of the press conference is available and has not been published yet because of technical problems. The Baku propaganda machine has not publicized the answers to some questions. “I have not found my answer to the question regarding Khojalu events in the Azerbaijani newsletters yet. They tried to talk about the so-called “genocide” of Khojalu, and I advised them to read the famous interview of former Azerbaijani President Ayaz Mutalibov to the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper, where he clearly explains that these events were organized by the “Popular Front of Azerbaijan” to make a power change. My answer irritated some of the journalists and they left”, told Mr. Ashotyan.
Regarding the Artsakh conflict settlement Armen Ashotyan has noted that the agreements of St. Petersburg and Vienna should be the subject of discussion at the moment: introduction of investigative mechanisms and ensuring confidence environment: “Currently, those do not become a reality because of the behavior of Azerbaijan. I also listed the basic principles: self-determination, territorial integrity, and security. Azerbaijani media changed their order, first mentioning the territorial integrity”.
The other delegate, Mane Tandilyan, could not escape from the Azerbaijani media distortions either. Armen Ashotyan noted, “Her meaningful and thematic report was presented with distortions. We also have the video of Mrs. Tandilyan’s report”.
Armen Ashotyan notices that anti-Armenian propaganda in Azerbaijan is an indisputable fact and is quite active: a large team is working to ensure the physical security of the Armenian delegates. “We even had a chance to walk around the city center, visit a café, have dinner. That is, a secure environment is provided, but a large team is working on that”.
Luiza SUKIASYAN
