EurasiaNet.org received the following statement from Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry in connection with a piece we posted October 23 in Tamada Tales, titled Armenia, Azerbaijan: Face-Off in Mexico Over el Nagorno-Karabaj. The text of the Foreign Ministry statement follows:
I was bewildered to read your blog item published on www.eurasianet.org entitled "Armenia, Azerbaijan: Face-Off in Mexico Over el Nagorno-Karabaj". The article attempts to provide a one-sided and distorted depiction of the situation surrounding Azerbaijani monuments in Mexico City. The so-called public protests mentioned in the article are nothing but provocative acts by the Armenian diaspora in Mexico that are sponsored by Mr. Sarukhan, due to his Armenian ethnicity. It seems that Republic of Armenia and the Armenian diaspora have launched a campaign against Azerbaijani monuments.
To make things clearer, I should remind that the decisions to build the two monuments were approved by the Mexico City authorities and all works have been carried out in line with the applicable regulations. And it is with a sense of gratitude to the Mexican people I should underline that Mexico is one of the countries which has officially recognized the Khojaly genocide. It is therefore understandable why Armenian diaspora in Mexico is so keen to distort the story as they fear statues like the Khojaly monument can eventually show the war crimes perpetrated by Armenian armed forces to the Mexican and wider international community.
The two monuments do not in any way cause discomfort to the wider public of Mexico City. They are located in places where ordinary people come and rest. The so-called protesters do not represent the wider general public of Mexico City but are a handful of Armenian diaspora based in Mexico. They cannot speak on behalf of the general public in Mexico. We view this as an intentionally organized PR campaign aimed to damage the friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Mexico.
The Government of the Republic of Armenia, which has nothing to offer to regional cooperation, has decided to spoil the future of the region by its destructive activities. All these activities do not contribute to the regional development and peace and further damage the prospects of the peace process.
Office of Spokesperson,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Republic of Azerbaijan
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