Azerbaijan's UN envoy condemns Armenian parade in Karabakh

Azerbaijan’s permanent representative to the United Nations has sent a letter to the UN secretary general, expressing protest in connection with the recent military parade in Stepanakert.
“On May 9, 2012 the Armenian leadership has made another provocative action by conducting a military parade in the town of Khankendi, located in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan,” Agshin Mehdiyev said, according to Trend.az.”Officially declared cause of holding parade, the presence of Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan and demonstration of weapons deserve special attention in the context of this outrageous act.” 
The parade was organized in Nagorno-Karabakh's capital on May 9 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the liberation of Shushi and the 67th anniversary of the Soviet Army's victory against facism. 
The Azeri envoy slammed Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's visit to Nagorno-Karabakh and the demonstration of up-to-date weapons at the festive event. 
“Holding the parade filled up a list of evidence of Armenia’s direct military aggression against Azerbaijan and the establishment of its actual military and political control over its occupied territories,” he said. “In fact, this parade has shown that Armenia continues increasing its military presence in these areas and deploys a large quantity of arms and ammunition beyond international control. If this is not so, the Armenian leadership must explain how the demonstrated types of weapons, including unmanned spy lethal vehicles, which were made in Armenia and were first publicly demonstrated at a military parade in Armenia on September 21, 2011, appeared in the Azerbaijani occupied territories.” 
Expressing protest against what he called warlike gestures, the diplomat alleges that the Armenians held the parade on occupied territories. 
“Such provocations as a military parade in the Azerbaijani occupied territories and the celebration of the occupying forces and the puppet armed gangs that are responsible for the heinous crimes committed against the Azerbaijani civilians during the war, are contrary to Armenia’s obligations on international law, and within the ongoing process of the conflict settlement,” he claimed.   Read more... (331 words)

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