Russia, Moscow, 14 may / Trend corr. R.Agayev / The Moscow International symposium 'Caucasus Albania and Lazgi nations: historical-cultural heritage at present' carries a scientific character and does not have any connection with the political issues, Alexander Juravski, a representative from the Regional Development Ministry of the Russian Federation, considers.
"This is a scientific event and everybody supports this symposium only as a scientific event. The framework of participants clearly shows that neither political nor administrative-territorial borders could prohibit the scientific people to discuss the issues that interest them most," Juravski stated to Azerbaijani journalists while commenting on the symposium which started in Moscow on 14 May.
The organizer of the two days event, held in the Russian State Service Academy at the Russian Presidency, is the Federal Lazgi National-Cultural Autonomy (FLACA) of Russia.
Juravski refused to comment the literature distributed in the symposium where there have been stated a territorial pretension towards Azerbaijan openly.
The pamphlet 'Up to date problems of Lazgins and Lazgi speaking nations' was published by FLACA and Committee on National Affairs of the Russian State Duma on the ground of materials obtained from a round table. The report developed by Abduragimov, Chairman of the National Council of Lazgi Nations 'National-Cultural features of development of South Dagestan nations', openly urges to 'recognize forcible split of Lazgi people in 1920s'. The report also said about illegal delimitation of the borders between the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan, as well as a need to consider them again and to join the northern regions of Azerbaijan to Dagestan in order to form the Lezgistan.
"I cannot comment anything on the issue. The symposium itself carries simply the scientific character. The discussions are also of only scientific meaning," Dmitri Kozaka, Chief of the Regional Development Ministry Department of Russia stated in the symposium while reading out the greetings from the Regional Development Ministry.