Yerevan-based ‘Novoye Vremya’ newspaper could not accomplish a task: Azerbaijani MP

“Soccer match between Turkey and Armenia to take place on Oct. 14 is of interest not only in these countries, but also in Azerbaijan, which supports football team of Turkey and wishes it success. There are a lot of football fans in Azerbaijan and we are happy that brotherly country has one of the strongest football teams in the world. Last year, the national soccer team of Turkey won hosts in Yerevan. We expect the same result this year, too,” Mirzazade said.  

“A year ago, the Turkish side reacted to it as a purely sporting event. Even President of Turkey Abdullah Gul, without preconditions, visited Yerevan to support country’s national team,” he added.

“But, unlike Turkey, Armenia adds a political dimension to this purely sporting event and all the time links it at different levels with the opening of Turkish-Armenian border and the Turkish concessions on the issue of so-called imaginary ‘Armenian genocide’,” he said .

“Naturally, both Turkey and Azerbaijan give a fitting rebuff to the biased and hysterical statements by Yerevan. We are doing this because of strategic alliance and brotherhood with Turkey,” the MP said.

“It should be noted that the discussions and statements in press by some public members of Azerbaijan will not go without attention of Armenia. They are closely watching our statements and comment based on their goals and outlook,” Mirzazade said.

He said  the so-called ‘independent’ Armenian newspaper ‘Novoye Vremya’ is distinguished exactly by this: “Although the newspaper is considered to be  “independent”, the spirit of materials show that it is an ideological and political voice of the current authorities in Yerevan. Whether they like it or not, but in their materials they are trying every way to stage propaganda.”

“Question of the football match between Armenia and Turkey has repeatedly been raised on the pages of this newspaper. On Sept. 1 this year the newspaper gave a special response to the media statements made by Azerbaijan public on this issue. The newspaper, commenting on the Azerbaijani press materials, put a special emphasis on a statement by known Azeri political expert Vafa Guluzade, Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Hulusi Kilic and my person,” he said.

Mirzazade said although the paper calls its material “Football without Borders”, in its statements it puts football in specific borders: “One feels that the newspaper in this material has a specific assignment. The publication recognizes that Abdullah Gul in Sept. last year went to Yerevan to watch football match, but Sargsyan said that he would go to Turkey for the return match under certain conditions. That is, it is clear that not only the head of the Armenian state, but the newspaper politicize this event and wants to get political benefits from it as much as possible.”

“That is, unlike Gul, Sargsyan makes conditions for a visit to Turkey. This is the first case in the world when a president of a state, in order to watch match of their national soccer team, makes unacceptable conditions for the neighboring state. Apparently this precedent will once get into books on political science and will be studied as one of the most illogical actions by politicians,” Mirzazade said.

“‘Novoye Vremya’ newspaper is puzzled and takes a hostile reception that the Azerbaijani press has raised this issue. However, the Azerbaijani side wants Turkey to be committed to its obligations to not opening the Turkish-Armenian border without resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This is natural since Turkey has undertaken obligations as a strategic ally and  a country close to Azerbaijan,” he added.

“In numerous statements by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara has clearly expressed its position which stipulates that reopening borders with Armenia will not take place without achieving a progress in resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

“‘Novoye Vremya’ does not want to hear these statements and does not inform its audience that the Armenian troops for already 18 years have stay in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan,” he noted.

“A reader without knowledge of this matter and history may ask what is the reason for the closure of borders by Turkey and what is the the reason for the strategic alliance between Turkey and Azerbaijan? There is only one reason - Turkey and Azerbaijan are one nation - two countries and a brother can not stand aside when the other brother has troubles. In this regard, Turkey sets a good example for other countries,” Mirzazade said.

The MP said the newspaper also wondered why the Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan made a statement on this issue and defended the interests of his country. “He has been appointed ambassador to defend his country's interests abroad and to explain position of his countries’ leaders to public. In this respect, ambassador plays a big role.”

“As to my statement and that of Guluzade, ‘Novoye Vremya’ confuses different issues. Extracting some of our phrases out of context, the paper does not cite our other arguments. For example, “The opening of border is necessary for Armenia as air. Armenia also needs opening of border with Azerbaijan.”

“But the Armenian side is well aware they will not see opening of borders with these countries until there is progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh resolution. Therefore, the position of the Armenian side in this issue may be repeatedly changed and can be unexpected,” he added.
 “However, the paper acknowledges that namely Armenian leadership initiated football diplomacy and there are no tangible results from that diplomacy and they are not foreseen,” Mirzazade said.

He said the question immediately arises as to who is to be blamed for the absence of results? It is high for Armenia to have a look at its actions and have a little more critical consideration to its policy, isn’t it?

“Maybe there are no results for the simple reason that the Armenian leadership can not lead a normal standard policies with neighbors and observe simple principles of diplomacy. That is, to respect territorial integrity of neighboring states, have no claim to other countries, to entrust question of history to historians, but not to behave as a scientific board in this or that issue and not to make politics out of sport, in this case from soccer. The fact that the current Armenian leadership has made no progress either in domestic or foreign policy is a fault of neither Turkish nor Azerbaijani side,” the MP said.

“Unfortunately, the materials of the newspaper under name of  ‘Novoye Vremya’ does not correspond to its name. Maybe it's from the fact that people who have given such a good name to the newspaper have old ideas about politics and good neighborliness and by doing so they do not want to change and be the bearers of the new trend of time. But this, as they say, it not our problem,” the MP said.

/Day.Az/