Forces, willing to incite ethnic conflict in Azerbaijan, attempt to use representatives of the Avarian people

An appeal of a group of Azerbaijani residents from Zaqatala, Qakh and Balaken to the then-working president of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Dagestan Mukhu Aliyev and Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasily Istratov was published some time ago at the internet website www.khabal.info.

The appeal says that being representatives of the Avarian nationality, they are discontent with the living conditions of national minorities in Azerbaijan and are pursued by Azerbaijani officials.

The appeal also states political, cultural and socioeconomic discrimination against Avarians and notes that they feel isolated from their compatriots.

On the whole, the appeal contained a number of separatist announcements. The appeal was signed by over 50 residents of the aforementioned regions. Moreover, the website posted the list of those who signed.

One of the regional correspondents of Day.Az tried to investigate the problems of the representatives of the Avarian people, whose names were listed on the website. The results of the journalist investigation was quite unexpected. Persons, whose names were listed on the website, noted that they had not signed any appeals of the kind and even had not heard about it.

At the same time, several curious facts, which completely disprove the facts about the alleged discrimination, persecution by officials of Azerbaijan and so on, have also been revealed.

It turned out that 7 people of the said lists have previously occupied positions of the municipality chairmen, 9 are current chairmen of local self-government bodies, one person is a businessman, one is a chairman of the trade union in the agrarian sector, one-the chairman of the regions post office, one the chairman of the regional organization of the Azerbaijan's Popular Front Party, one the secretary of the regional organization of the Musavat party and one is a chief of the rural library.

They noted that appearance of such information on the separatist website, is not by accident and can be posted by forces, which attempt to incite ethnic conflict in Azerbaijan, using the issue of national minorities.

They said these forces sometimes try to raise the so-called Lezgium and Talish issue and now they intent to involve Avarian people in it. They said Armenians and their supporters are the main characters who wish division of Azerbaijan into smaller parts and Armenian trace should by primarily searched in such cases.

/Day.Az/