Laura Baghdasaryan charges against me - nonsense

Director of the Research Center "Region" Laura Baghdasaryan made ​​a statement, which has denied the charges and the Prosecutor General Ministry of National Security of Azerbaijan in his espionage activities.

"My name is Laura Seyranovna instead Stepanovna, as stated in the statement of MNS and the Prosecutor's Office of Azerbaijan. Information about me is in the public domain on the Internet.

  Our center has spent a lot of activities in various projects with experts and journalists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine, the EU, Russia, etc.

These events were held in the online mode, in the eyes of the Internet users, and not in the territory of a third country.

These online conferences, online interviews, analytical articles, surveys, interviews of experts from different countries - the countries of the South Caucasus, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, EU, Russia and others, are published in the open access.

By the way, we had a closer look at our sites - www.caucasusjournalists.net (from 2003 to 2011), www.regioncenter.info (2001 – till present), and www.publicdialogues.info (2012-2014).

There is also information about donors - the U.S. government, the UK, Poland, EU, European Commission, NATO Headquarters, etc.

The statement says that our center, which is "under the direct control of the Armenian secret service tries to create a connection with Azerbaijani citizens working in NGO and the media, attracting them to their worldview and political views."Yes, me as an analyst and project manager attracted and attract specialists not only in Azerbaijan but also in other countries who are able to express their views in a civilized way, and provide professional assessment. These are two main criteria for the invitation of different experts from different countries, not only from Azerbaijan. If the Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of National Security see these qualities as a basis for prosecutions and charges, then - sorry, this has to go to other destinations," says Baghdasaryan.

"The statement claimed that I had a meeting in February 2009 with Rauf Mirkadirov in one of the cafes in Tbilisi, and the video, taken in such a funny method by the guardians of the security of Azerbaijan, shows this.

However, intelligence agencies must prove that:

- Mirkadyrov’s part in our projects is a criminal offense;

- Mirkadyrov, besides the above written material (sent, by the way, on the Internet in the public domain) forwarded me videos and schemes that have at least some connection with the military and other important areas of Azerbaijan,

- Mirkadyrov since 2008 could be the bearer of state secrets;

- Getting a signature fee for participation in an open international event is a legally valid proof of Mirkadyrov’s "espionage."

If we are actually spies, why did I have to pay Mirkadirov openly in a Tbilisi restaurant to be noticed by some Samvel? Was not it possible to send money to Baku via Leyla Yunus?

  And the events of 2008-2009:

1. If the authorities of Azerbaijan have learned about the "betrayal" of Mirkadirov 5-6 years ago, how did they let him freely pass me state secrets for such a long time?

2. If the authorities of Azerbaijan learned about the "betrayal" of Mirkadirov before his arrest, why was the record from February 2009 (!) sent to Azerbaijan in a parcel only now?

3. If Mirkadirov is yet a carrier of state secrets, then why did the Azerbaijani authorities allow him to leave the country and stay in Turkey for several years? " said Laura Baghdasaryan. -02D-