Nation

PARLIAMENT PASSES KHOJALI STATEMENT

Tuesday's parliamentary debates on the 10th anniversary of the Khojali genocide ended in the passage of a statement addressed to international organizations and parliaments.

The statement reads that the Armenian military leveled the Azeri town of Khojali on February 26, 1992 with support from Russia's shooting regiment 366, killing and taking hostage Azeri populations there. A fifth of the Azeri lands is under occupation and these territories are being used as a transit route for transportation of drugs, the statement says.

It accuses the then leadership of Azerbaijan, President Ayaz Mutallibov in particular, of criminal negligence and inability of organizing the defense of Khojali. The document says that Azerbaijan will restore its territorial integrity using all means available.

The statement calls on the UN, OSCE, CE and CIS parliaments to recognize the Khojali genocide.

MPs proposed to announce February 26 as the national mourning day, set up a museum for the Khojali slaughter, resume investigations into the carnage, punish those responsible, address the UN Security Council for an international tribunal to investigate the genocide, and step up propaganda to introduce the truth to the world community. Opposition-minded MP Igbal Agazadeh suggested that the negotiations for a peaceful resolution of the Garabagh conflict be terminated and war unleashed. Responding to the offer, Speaker Alasgarov said Azerbaijan would never budge for securing its territorial integrity. "But, it is not time to launch war. We should try to have the dispute settled in a negotiated manner", he said.

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH GERMANY, FRANCE TURN 10

February 20 saw the 10th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Germany. The decade-long diplomatic contacts of Azerbaijan with France were marked Thursday.

On these occasions, German and French ambassadors held a press conference at the French Embassy Wednesday.

The French envoy Chantal Poiret stated that France and Germany back the reforms in Azerbaijan, as does the European Union. The ambassador added that the economic reforms underway in Azerbaijan are leading to prosperity of the country and society.

The two voiced their satisfactions with the level of political, economic and cultural relations with Azerbaijan. They stated that a legal normative frame had been established in a bid to regulate bilateral cooperation with Azerbaijan, adding that new agreements are expected to be signed in prospect.