24 September 2018, 11:19
Azerbaijani MFA accuses CSTO Secretary General of abuse of power
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for Azerbaijan has condemned the statement of CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov concerning the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The Azerbaijani MFA has referred to the Armenian citizenship of the CSTO Secretary General and accused him of bias and abuse of authority, since the CSTO does not have a mandate for activities related to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on September 21, CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov expressed his concern over the growing number of cases of shelling at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the villages located nearby.
The headmen of the villages of Baganis and Kochi in the Tavush Region of Armenia informed about the shelling of dwelling settlements from Azerbaijani positions at night on September 17. On September 15 and 16, heads of rural communities informed about the shelling of the Armenian villages of Chinari and Kochi by Azerbaijan, during which a local resident was wounded; and on September 19, an Armenian soldier perished at shelling.
On September 22, the Azerbaijani MFA released a statement condemning the Yuri Khachaturov's remarks concerning the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
"The CSTO Secretary General has abused his official powers and issued a statement concerning the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and that goes beyond the mandate of the CSTO. The statement voiced by the CSTO Secretary General who is a citizen of Armenia is subjective and biased, and, with the exception of Armenia, it contradicts the position of the CSTO members regarding the above conflict," the press service for the Azerbaijani MFA states in its released comment as translated by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.
This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 23, 2018 at 01:34 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.
Author: Faik Medzhid Source: CK correspondent
