By Asbarez | Thursday, 10 May 2012
Karabakh Armed Forces march during a parade marking the 20th anniversary of the Liberation of Shoushi
BAKU (RFE/RL)—Azerbaijan on Thursday condemned as a “provocation” a high-profile military parade that was held in Nagorno-Karabakh and attended by President Serzh Sarkisian.
“Such a destructive position demonstrates that the Armenian side is not prepared to hold negotiations in a constructive manner,” the APA news agency quoted an Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman, Elman Abdullayev, as telling journalists.
The parade, which involved scores of troops, tanks and other military hardware, was dedicated to the 20th anniversary of a key battle that greatly contributed to the Armenian victory in the 1991-1994 war for Karabakh.
Azerbaijan has similarly condemned Sarkisian’s presence at military exercises held by Karabakh’s armed forces. Watching such drills in late 2010, Sarkisian warned that the Armenian side will deal a “devastating and final” blow to Baku if it attempts to resolve their conflict by force.
In a separate development, a senior aide to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev accused the West on Thursday of unjustly portraying the weekend parliamentary elections in Armenia as democratic.
“Voting in Armenia’s elections was largely a show organized by themselves,” Novruz Mammadov said, according to the Trend news agency. “Unfortunately, the West, having immediately demonstrated some [pro-Armenian] partiality, wants to present these elections as transparent and democratic.”
comments
Aliyev Again Refers to Most of Armenia as Western Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan Blocks Humanitarian Transport To and From Lachin Corridor
#TogetherForSyria Telethon Raises over $110,000 for Armenians In Syria
After Lachin Corridor Blockade, Putin Speaks to Pashinyan and Aliyev
Aliyev Signs Order Declaring Shushi Cultural Capital of Turkic World
Lemkin Institute Voices Support For Artsakh Rights to Self-Determination to Avoid Genocide
Tensions Escalate Between Iran and Azerbaijan
Moscow is Closely Coordinating Peace Treaty with Yerevan and Baku
Aliyev Criticism of Russian Peacekeepers and Iran Elicits Strong Reactions