Details added (the first version published at 18:11)
Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 26 /Trend/
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry delivered a note of protest to the Russian ambassador in connection with an article about Nagorno-Karabakh published in RIA Novosti, the Foreign Ministry press-service said today.
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev presented a note of protest to Vladimir Dorokhin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Azerbaijan.
At the meeting, Azerbaijani Deputy Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev expressed his country's concerns over the publication of an online article entitled "Nagorno Karabakh is used to being unrecognized'" on the official website of Ria Novosti, Russian State News Agency on the eve of the anniversary of Khojaly Genocide.
The Deputy Minister brought the fact that recently there has been an increase in the number of articles in the Russian media directed against Azerbaijan to the ambassador's attention. He underlined that the publication of the article on the website of the Russian State News Agency is particularly regretful and overshadows the work of the Russian Federation towards the resolution of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.
The Deputy Minister also noted that the article does not reflect reality, includes calls for separatism and extremism and disrespects the principle of territorial integrity.
Referring to the bilateral agreement on "Friendship, cooperation and mutual security" signed between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation on July 3, 1997, the Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister reminded that Article 5 of the said agreement says that both states condemn all forms of separatism and take the obligation not to support separatist movements directed against the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the two states and to ban and prevent the establishment and activities of such organizations, groups and individuals in their territories.
It was underlined that the provocative article published online does not coincide with the spirit of friendship and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Russia and damages the long-established good neighborly relations in contradiction of the essence and articles of the aforesaid bilateral agreement.
Presenting a note of protest to the Russian Ambassador, Deputy Minister Mahmud Mammad-Guliyev expressed hope that the issue will be closely examined and appropriate measures will be taken by the Russian Federation.