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During the last two years Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov and Deputy Head of Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov through the pro-governmental media voiced the idea that Baku may raise the question of withdrawal of American co-chair of the Minsk Group James Warlick. The Azerbaijani news agency Turan reports about this in the article entitled “Why official Baku is not pleased with Warlick?”

Turan notes that the Azerbaijani authorities give no clear answer to the question “why”. “At the same time they allude to the fact that the co-chair writes something wrong on his Twitter. In particular, he deals with the Armenian Diaspora and then with the Azerbaijani one. What's the crime here is difficult to understand,” the article reads.

As it is stated by Turan, it can be concluded that Baku is not satisfied with Warlick’s “activities” who shows excessive love of peace, instead of putting pressure on Armenia. “That’s how have the Azerbaijani authorities’ claims to the Minsk Group sounded during the recent years. Why they now speak only about the American co-chair is difficult to understand. However, there is no doubt that there is a reason for that,” Turan sums up.

In the article entitled “Another object of attack by authorities - Transparency International and the "fifth column” Turan writes that apparently another object of attack of Azerbaijani authorities is the organization Transparency International.

“Thus, today's meeting of the Milli Majlis started with the fact that two MPs, Ali Huseynov and Elmira Akhundova, declared about biased and subversive activities carried out by Transparency Azerbaijan - representation of Transparency International in Azerbaijan. They did not explain the reason. However, Ali Huseynov called all the authorities and MPs not to attend the events of this organization,” the article reads.

At the same time, as it is reported by Turan, the two deputies called for the need to combat the "fifth column" without specifying who or what they have in mind. Next MP Musa Gasymly urged to tighten law on police in light of "the recent violence by Leyla Yunus against the police officer”. Apparently the MP meant the incident when the activist threw the cap at the officer who despite the woman’s protests entered the bathroom where Yunus was.

Next spoke the deputy head of ruling YAP Party Siyavush Novruzov, who said that the U.S. State Department intervenes in the affairs of Azerbaijan and “takes its agents under protection, whom it pays.” At the same time, these funds are provided by the Armenians, the deputy said.

MP Fazail Agamali took the floor and declared that Leyla Yunus receives most of the funds and she “without authorities’ consent” visits foreign countries, this should be stopped. MP Azay Guliyev who is himself a representative of the non-governmental sector resented the fact that Transparency Azerbaijan gave grant to Leyla Yunus and in its report gave negative assessment of Azerbaijani parliament.

Summing up those speeches, the speaker of the parliament Oktay Asadov shamed Leyla Yunus and Rena Safaraliyeva and accused them of undermining the statehood of Azerbaijan. “Instead of investigations, they are engaged in subversive activities,” Asadov said.

Turan also notes that the head of Presidential Administration department of work with law enforcement agencies Fuad Aleskerov cracked down on Transparency Azerbaijan with overwhelming criticism calling the latter’s reports on Azerbaijan biased.

Besides, a number of Azerbaijani MPs also made strong statements against James Warlick. Thus, MP Zahid Oruj in an interview with Day.az declared that “James Warlick is the most abortive out of all ambassadors” that the U.S. has appointed for the settlement of Karabakh conflict. “I think that our country should try to achieve Warlick’s deprivation of mandate or revocation as “persona non grata”. I believe Azerbaijan’s position would be taken into consideration so as not to aggravate situation of the negotiation process,” Oruj added.
MP of Azerbaijani parliament Fuad Muradov said to Azerbaijani news agency Trend that James Warlick’s position “casts a shadow on his mediation efforts” and his arguments are “groundless”.

“I understand the love Warlick feels for Armenians, but the ideas voiced by Warlick cast a shadow on his peace mediation efforts in the negotiations of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I want to believe that such people will not be able to harm Azerbaijani- American relations,” he said.

On its turn, the speaker of Azerbaijani parliament Oktay Asadov touched on a number of statements of James Warlick without indicating the referee, “The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are trying to introduce the separatist regime of Nagorno Karabakh as a “party” to negotiations,” Asadov said.

Trend notes that earlier the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan issued a statement that official Baku can raise the issue of the withdrawal of James Warlick’s mandate as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group.

Note that on March 24 the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group James Warlick wrote in his Twitter account, “I was corrected today - the conflict is between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan.” Earlier Warlick also said, “Time has come for Karabakh to come to negotiation table.”