Your trusted source

Deputy Speaker of Armenian National Assembly, Co-Chair of the Armenian-Belarusian parliamentary friendship group Eduard Sharmazanov says extradition of Russian-Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin to Azerbaijan represents a case of ‘dirty deal.”

Sharmazanov spoke to the press at a briefing on Wednesday, saying “the dirty deal between the two countries grossly violates the democratic values, fundamental freedoms of speech and movement and is against the idea of regional peace.”

“Furthermore, this appears to be a move which contradicts to the level of Armenian-Belarusian political relations. As a Co-Chair of the Armenian-Belarusian parliamentary friendship group I should emphasize the step is neither in line with Armenia-Belarusian nor Russian-Belarusian relations, considering Lapshin also holds Russian citizenship. I reiterate that the case is a disgrace, a dirty deal,’ Sharmazanov stressed.
 
Asked whether he plans to discuss the matter with Belarusian colleagues, NA Deputy Speake replied: “At this point it would not be appropriate to sit at a table and discuss the matter, since the group is a platform for friendly cooperation, while the move is definitely not friendly and in the interests of our relations. Nonetheless, I have no doubt the issue will be raised by our colleagues through different channels,” Sharmazanov said.

He next added Armenian had used all available diplomatic measures to prevent Lapshin’s extradition, referring to the reaction of official Yerevan and the ‘harsh comments’ of the country’s MFA spokesperson.