Ali Hasanov, head of the public and political department of the Presidential Administration, has given an interview to state news agency Azartac.
-Mr Hasanov, following the presidents’ meeting in Sochi, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan made several statements regarding the top issues discussed during the meeting. We’d like you to comment on these statements.
- Unfortunately, Serzh Sargysan has, acting against the mutual agreement, again disclosed details of some issues that were discussed during the closed meeting among the presidents. What is even worse is that he’s distorting the issues brought up by the sides during the meeting and their positions, and falsely coordinates his own views with Armenia’s interests. These things, of course, could earn him absolutely nothing as a president and head of state. If those facts were supposed to be stated, the presidents would hold a press conference following the meeting to discuss all issues face to face. And it’s befitting for Sargysan to go back to his country after the meeting and speak to the local society by adding his own ideas and interests into the issues that were discussed in order to turn into a “false hero”.
- Sargysan has already done it. That is why there’s a need to shed light on some of the issues discussed during the meeting and define some details. What could you say to the Azerbaijani society about it?
Once again, we regret that Sargsyan’s behavior forced us to comment on some issues discussed during the closed meeting. That is true, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev raised the issue of the two Kalbajari hostages captured by Armenian armed units in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories during the meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin also attended. As we all know, one of the hostages is a Russian citizen and his family has made an appeal to the Russian president. During the meeting, the Azerbaijani president also delivered that appeal to President Vladimir Putin and brought up the issue of the hostages’ release. According to President Ilham Aliyev, Armenians have labeled those two Kalbajari men as “dangerous saboteurs” and created an ugly show about them through mass media outlets. On the contrary, their family members say those two men, enjoying their right of citizenship, have been visiting the graves of their parents that are located in their home villages occupied by Armenia. Considering one of them is a Russian citizen, the Azerbaijani president asking President Vladimir Putin to deal with this issue can seem quite reasonable, and this is undoubtedly aimed at having civilians unconditionally released.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan’s president has demanded in the trilateral meeting that the bodies of the civilians and soldiers killed by Armenian armed units in occupied lands and on the contact line of troops should be unconditionally returned in accordance with rules of war. Ilham Aliyev told Sargsyan at the meeting that even the Nazis were not engaged in inhumane acts committed against the hostages and bodies taken by occupying Armenian soldiers on the frontline: “Disrespectful treatment of victims' bodies is not a humane act. The President also demanded immediate handover of the bodies to their families.”
Running out of words, Serzh Sargsyan touched on Azerbaijan’s propaganda for handover of the body of Mubariz Ibrahimov, who boldly crossed through the mined area on the frontline, killed several Armenian soldiers with their own weapons and died heroically in an unequal battle in June, 2010 and accused the Azerbaijanis of presenting Mubariz Ibrahimov as a hero and intimidating the Armenians. The President recalled Sargsyan that war has its own rules: “We didn’t regarded Mubariz Ibrahimov as a hero. He single-handedly destroyed the trench protected by the Armenian troops, killed dozens of occupying soldiers and heroically laid down his life. According to the rules of war, the sides should respect their heroes. Mubariz Ibrahimov was a real hero and awarded with the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan.” President Ilham Aliyev demanded Serzh Sargsyan to treat heroes as a hero.
- Serzh Sargsyan, in his speech, has said that as a result of the latest acts of diversion the Azerbaijani side suffered more losses and Armenians demonstrated “their power” and he pointed out “this fact” as if he tried to calm down the Armenian people. What can you say about it?
- Sargsyan, of course, tries to deliberately hide the losses of the Armenia’s occupying army as a result of the recent sabotage-diversion and wants to cover up this fact. However, reports of all internal and external sources confirm that Armenia suffered about 50 losses. Armenia's military and political circles will fail to hide the losses. It is recommended that Serzh Sargsyan, instead of continuing such cases of sabotage that are directly undermining further peace in the South Caucasus and keeping the Armenian people under the captivity of war, should care his compatriots leaving the country en masse in the recent year and all over the world being in search of earning and bread.
Bakudaily.az
