Dmitry Savelyev Replies to Konstantin Zatulin

Moscow / 08.03.19 / Turan: The member of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, head of the inter-parliamentary friendship group Russia-Azerbaijan Dmitry Savelyev commented on the statements of the member of the State Duma Zatulin about the participation of Russian parliamentarians in events dedicated to the memory of the victims of Khojaly.

"Our MPs were invited to Baku to participate in the annual conference" Building a common future, searching for a common past and developing a common present, "which is dedicated to strengthening cooperation between Russia and Azerbaijan. The next day, a nationwide march took place in memory of the 27th anniversary of the Khojaly genocide. This is an official state event, and I am proud that in the funeral procession I walked in the same ranks as Azerbaijani President Ilham Heydarovich Aliyev," said Saveliev in his commentary.

"We laid flowers at the monument Mother"s Cry symbolizing the tragedy in Khojaly. The participants of the procession carried banners with the words "Do not forget Khojaly!" and "Justice to Khojaly!" Does Mr. Zatulin consider these slogans anti-Armenian?

My colleagues and I consider the Khojaly tragedy to be a monstrous crime, because with each child killed in Khojaly, a piece of the future of Azerbaijan was destroyed. In my opinion, as well as in the opinion of many experts, there are all signs of genocide in the Khojaly massacre, which I have repeatedly spoken about both in the media and within the walls of the State Duma of the Russian Federation. And so think others, not only me. As an example, I would like to cite the words of the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Irina Rodnina, who said: "The events in Khojaly should not only be a tragedy of the Azerbaijani people, but also be understood by people from Russia and other countries." I see how, one after another, the countries of the world recognize the events in Khojaly as a crime, and I consider this to be logical: sooner or later justice must triumph, and those responsible for the tragedy will sit in the defendants' box.

I would like to ask Mr. Zatulin counter questions in connection with very strange events. I mean the second meeting of the Lazarev Club held in Moscow with the direct participation of Mr. Zatulin, where a certain person from the separatist body in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan arrived, presented to the Club members as the "Minister of Economy and Industrial Infrastructure of the Artsakh Republic".

Tell me how these actions correspond to Russia's mediating function in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict! How to relate them to the repeated statements of our state on the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan? And are such actions not an attempt to drive a wedge into relations between Russia and Azerbaijan, under the cover of slogans about Russian-Armenian cooperation? " Dmitry Savelyev said. -02D-