Remarks by Zhirinovsky-like politicians not good for Russian-Azeri ties - Baku official
BAKU. Sept 21 (Interfax) - Baku does not take remarks made by Russian Liberal Democratic Party leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky seriously, but it will continue responding to his anti-Azeri statements, Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said.
"In my opinion, politicians such as Vladimir Zhirinovsky cannot be taken seriously," Azimov told journalists, commenting on the Russian parliamentarian's speech at a recent rally organized by the Union of Russian Armenians in Moscow.
The Azeri government should make efforts to prevent similar statements in the future "because they do not positively influence the development of bilateral relations, but create obstacles to the development of friendly ties," the deputy minister said.
The Russian authorities have not yet responded to Baku's protest over Zhirinovsky's remarks, Azimov said.
The Azeri Foreign Ministry forwarded a note of protest to Russia following Zhirinovsky's statement. Russian Ambassador Vladimir Dorokhin was summoned to the Azeri Foreign Ministry on Tuesday and Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov notified him of Baku's discontent over the remarks made by the Liberal Democratic Party leader in Moscow on September 14.
According to the Azeri ministry, this event was dedicated to the possibility of pardoning Azeri officer Ramil Safarov, who was extradited to Azerbaijan by Hungary, where he was given a life sentence for killing an Armenian soldier.
The provocative statements made by Zhirinovsky at the rally cast a shadow over cooperation and friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, Khalafov said.
Such remarks also harm Russia's mission within the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, which has been mediating a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, he said.
