details added (first version posted at 13:36)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 20
By Saba Aghayeva -Trend:
A Czech NGO is the initiator of the anti-Azerbaijan campaign at a civil society forum as part of the EU "Eastern Partnership" program in Batumi. This NGO is known for its pro-Armenian views, Azerbaijani ambassador to the Czech Republic Farid Shafiyev told Trend Nov. 20.
He was commenting on the incident with the participation of the civil society representatives of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic in Batumi.
An incident occurred between the delegations of the Czech Republic and the Republic of Azerbaijan at a meeting of the Civil Society Forum in Batumi as part of the EU "Eastern Partnership" program.
A poster on human rights violations in Azerbaijan posted by the Czech people caused the Azerbaijani delegation's indignation.
The incident was settled by the organizers of the meeting.
"The Czech NGO 'People in need' has been known for anti-Azerbaijani and pro-Armenian activity for a long time," Shafiyev said. "One of the founders of the organization is Eromir Shtetsin. Earlier, he illegally visited Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia."
The diplomat said that of course, the Czech government has no relation to the NGO activity. The NGO activity is not controlled by the authorities of the Czech Republic and does not reflect the official position of the country.
Shafiyev said that the cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Czech Republic is growing.
The representatives of the "Eastern Partnership" countries, namely, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and Ukraine, as well as EU NGOs participate in an annual civil society forum in Batumi.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
edited by CN
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