Armenian official: Aliyev “cold-showered” European MPs at Euronest

PanARMENIAN.Net - Vahan Hovhannisyan, head of the Armenian delegation to Euronest Parliamentary Assembly commented on the statement of Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev at plenary sitting saying it came as a “cold shower” for the European MPs.

Touching upon the need for Armenian delegation to go to Baku, Hovhannisyan said: “We had to go, because president Aliyev, probably involuntarily, damaged his country’s political image so badly we could never do, however hard we tried.”

Hovhannisyan said many PA representatives and even Azerbaijani MPs whom he did not name for known reasons, approached the Armenian delegation after Azerbaijani president’s statement to voice their disagreement with Aliyev’s words and support the Armenians.

Head of delegation also noted that prior to this statement, during a meeting with Euronest Bureau management Aliyev never raised the Karabakh problem.

On April 3, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev called Armenians “fascists” during a plenary sitting of Euronest Parliamentary Assembly in Baku. The statement sparked resentment of the Armenian delegation which dubbed it improper and beyond diplomatic norms. Representative of Euronest delegation and other countries also expressed discontent with Aliyev’s conduct.

Euronest inter-parliamentary union includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.