'Azerbaijan , Turkey are strong allies'

Regardless of where issue of the fictitious "Armenian genocide" is discussed in whole it is leveled both against Turkey and Azerbaijan, the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP) said.

"Before and during the discussion of the fictitious "Armenian genocide" in the French parliament the Azerbaijani side very sharply responded to it," Deputy Executive Secretary of the NAP, MP Mubariz Gurbanly told Trend.

Earlier, some Turkish mass media outlets tried to diminish Azerbaijan's reaction to adoption by the French Parliament of the law criminalising the denial of the so-called "Armenian genocide".

Not only today but earlier when work on recognition in the French parliament of the fictitious "Armenian genocide" was carried out during the presidency of Heydar Aliyev the Azerbaijani Parliament and government very seriously responded to this, he said. A very big protest letter, related to this issue, was sent to the French Senate.

"Later the Azerbaijani side noted Armenia and actions of the Armenian lobby damaged peace in the regions and we opposed the law," Mr Gurbanly said.

Both on the eve of and during the discussion of this law in the French Parliament in 2011 the Azerbaijani side expressed its position. Address of President Ilham Aliyev at his meeting with members of the Turkish parliament, addresses of the head of department of the President's Administration Novruz Mammadov and the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, as well as protest letters of socio-political structures of Azerbaijan, the NAP, youth union of the NAP to the French parliament and protests of Azerbaijani journalists were published in mass media outlets. The Turkish embassy and Turkish public were informed on that, he noted.

"As for some materials published in a number of Turkish mass media outlets in regard to this issue and speeches concerning allegedly weak support of Azerbaijan in this issue I believe it's wrong. I personally carefully familiarized with two publications of the Turkish press. The article's author asks why Azerbaijan didn't express his attitude toward this issue at governmental level. However Azerbaijan did express its attitude at governmental level," the MP noted.

Azerbaijan openly demonstrated its position, he stressed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs as official state structure disseminated statement. That's why it's inadmissible that such articles damaging strategic friendship and cooperation between Turkey and Azerbaijan are published in the Turkish press. It is regarded as attempt to direct Turkish public opinion to faulty course, Mr Gurbanly stressed.

"That's why we believe such articles shouldn't emerge and as far as I am concerned Turkish public opinion is quite fully provided by information sent by Azerbaijan. I think in future need in such articles will fall away. It's impossible to refer these articles to all Turkish mass media outlets and I didn't meet such articles in the official press," Mr Gurbanly said.

This is not of mass nature and isn't official position of Turkey, he noted.

"The official position of the Turkish government is known, it knows that Azerbaijan and Turkey are allies and work carried out by Azerbaijan in this direction is also known to all people. These materials may emerge as a result of activities of groups located in Turkey that want to harm Turkish-Azerbaijani friendship," Mr Gurbanly said.

On Jan.23, after eight hours of discussion, the Senate (upper chamber of the French parliament) voted for adoption of the law criminalising denial of the so called "Armenian genocide". Some 127 senators voted for, while 86 against.


/Trend/