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Regarding “Euronest” plenary session held in Baku, participation of Armenian delegation in the plenary session and speech delivered by Azerbaijan’s President, Panorama.am had an interview with Armenian Parliament Speaker Samvel Nikoyan.

-Mister Nikoyan, before leaving for Azerbaijan, it was believed that the delegation wouldn’t travel to Baku. Why, after all, was it decided that the Armenian side should attend the plenary session?

-Before leaving for Baku, I, as Parliament Speaker, have twice held consultations that were attended by the heads of parliamentary factions. As a result of the discussions a decision was made that it was right to leave for Baku. Besides, the delegation was going to leave in its full staff and to be intensively involved in “Euronest” works.

-During “Euronest” Parliamentary Assembly plenary session Azerbaijan’s President addressed rather rough remarks to Armenia and to Armenian people generally. Did the Armenian side expect such performance?

- Such behavior performed by Azerbaijan was not strange for anyone. We did suppose that such remarks could be heard, but frankly speaking we couldn’t imagine that the president would make them.

Obviously, Azerbaijan’s President has discredited his name and his country. Our European partners were once again convinced that xenophobia has state support in Azerbaijan and the head of that country lacks behavior peculiar to high-ranking official.
I am confident Azerbaijan either does not unequivocally accept President Aliyev’s behavior, with society realizing that he just discredits the state.

Azerbaijan already realizes that the President makes use of country’s oil reserves for his personal and clan interests.

- There is an impression that the international community pretends not to notice Aliyev’s statements…

- The strange thing is that he [Aliyev] makes war resumption statements, although he knows nothing about war, he had even been away during the war. He talks like a hero, while he had not been with his people in hard moments. While the Armenian President, who had fought in the war and rose from ordinary soldier to Commander-in-Chief of the RA Armed Forces, constantly voices the necessity of resolving Karabakh issue through peaceful means and negotiations and thinks this is the only and most efficient way for conflict resolution.

That is why the approaches of the Armenian side are in accord with the international community’s approaches, and Armenia is an acceptable and reliable partner.