Participating in Seventh Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations in Baku support for Azerbaijan’s policy - Armenian MP

In an interview with Tert.am, Armenian MP Edmon Marukyan welcomed the Armenian foreign office’s statement that the Seventh Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations should have been cancelled.

“Of course, it was the right decision, and a state that commits war crimes must never be allowed to host a forum of civilizations. Otherwise, we have nothing to do there,” Mr Marukyan saids.

According to him, Armenia’s foreign office should have sent a note the first day of the war, informing the world of Azerbaijan’s aggression.

“The world’s leading countries must be informed that the Forum is being hosted by a country that waged war just a few days ago and participating in this forum would now be support for that state’s policy,” the Armenian MP said.

The Forum will not be delayed, and the UN secretary general’s participation will make it even more influential.

“In fact, our diplomatic efforts will not achieve their goals until Azerbaijan is recognized as an aggressor and a state that commits war crimes,” Mr Marukyan said.

According to him, if some of the UN Security Council member-states had raised their objections to such a forum in Baku, and Russia, France and the United States had issued relevant statements, the forum would probably not be held in Baku.

“But relevant work should have been carried out with the countries for them to issue such statements,” the MP said.

As to whether the states in question are ready to sacrifice their interests to Armenia, Mr Marukyan said that Armenia might have presented itself in such a way that the other states would have made such a step.

Baku hosting the Forum is evidence of Azerbaijan’s effective diplomacy.

“They are proactive and their caviar diplomacy may play its role as well,” Mr Marukyan said.

Armenia should intensify its diplomatic efforts, changing its diplomatic corps.