Azerbaijan, Baku, June 10 /Trend, E.Tariverdiyeva/
Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma, the LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky has always differed with controversy and apparently was looking for a pretext to break out with the statements about what happened with a reporter of "Echo of Moscow", said Azerbaijani politician, a member of the Trend Expert Council Fikret Sadikhov.
"Zhirinovsky this time did not fail to use the statements by the Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin for the next controversial statements," Sadikhov told Trend.
Zhirinovsky appealed with an official letter to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the official website of LDPR reported.
"Zhirinovsky considers unacceptable the reaction of the Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan Vladimir Dorokhin in connection with the incident involving a journalist of "Echo of Moscow" Sergei Buntman," said the letter.
At a press conference on June 8, Dorokhin touched upon the recent visit of a reporter of "Echo of Moscow" to separatist Nagorno-Karabakh without agreement of the Azerbaijani side, which the head of radio station Alexei Venediktov justifies in his statements.
"One cannot ban Venediktov to make statements, but he should understand his responsibility," Dorokhin said. "Azerbaijan's decision to restrict this man [journalist Sergei Buntman] - is its right, and it is not discussed."
Deputy Chief Editor of the Russian radio station "Echo of Moscow" Sergei Buntman visited occupied Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijan's knowledge in mid-May. Buntman has interviewed the separatist leaders. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry included the journalists in the list of persona-non-grata. Azerbaijan declares foreigners, who visit Nagorno-Karabakh without notifying Baku, persona-non-grata.
According to Sadikhov, the occupation of Azerbaijani territory is a fact that can not be argued.
"The independence of Nagorno-Karabakh is not recognized by any country in the world, including Armenia. This territory is an integral part of Azerbaijan," he said.
According to the expert, the "farce" and speculation around this theme, which suits for some politicians, particularly Zhirinovsky, is a chasing for the next sensation. "His remarks addressed to ambassador Dorokhina are fundamentally unfair. The duty of the ambassador is to defend his fellow citizens who are legitimately in the state where he is accredited. And besides, his main responsibility is to strengthen respect and trust between his country and the country where he represents Russia. The clear position of Mr Dorokhin, expressed on journalist visiting Nagorno-Karabakh, has strengthened the respect for Russia by the Azerbaijani people," Sadikhov said.
The ambassador mentioned the obvious fact - every journalist should have the responsibility and be guided by the principles of journalistic ethics, he said.
"And Zhirinovsky should understand: what made the journalist of "Echo of Moscow" can be compared with those if any foreign journalist visits the North Caucasus, makes interviews with the head of thug, who proclaimed himself Emir of the Caucasus Emirate," Sadikhov said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the
Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.