Azernews.Az

YEREVAN – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has voiced concern over Azerbaijani Parliament Vice-Speaker Bahar Muradova’s recent appeal to him condemning the recent killing of an Azerbaijani child on the frontline, Novosti Armenii news agency reported on Thursday citing Sargsyan’s press service.

The nine-year-old resident of a village in Azerbaijan’s Aghdam region, Fariz Badalov, was shot in the head by a sniper while playing in the courtyard on March 8 in a ceasefire violation by Armenian troops. Vice-Speaker Muradova recently said in parliament that this incident indicated Yerevan’s aggressive policy. "Speaking from this rostrum, I am calling on the Armenian president and his spouse: Don’t let your people kill children!".

Sargsyan, in a written statement, said he was concerned over the Azerbaijani vice-speaker’s appeal for two reasons.

"[I am concerned] primarily because I think, you were sincere and convinced of what you said. Secondly, because the legends that are circulating about my nation are increasingly taking hold in your country -- to an extent that it will be more and more difficult to challenge them by sheer facts and wholesome debate," Sargsyan claimed.

Sargsyan wrote that he was responding to Muradova’s appeal as "an Armenian and a person", suggesting that the vice-speaker derive information about his nation "from Azerbaijanis who know the Armenian people well". "They will honestly tell what Armenians are like indeed," he wrote.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a brutal war that ended with the signing of a fragile cease-fire in 1994. About 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory has been occupied by Armenian armed forces since then. Peace talks have largely accomplished no result so far. Sporadic clashes on the frontline continue.

Sargsyan wrote that it was possible to resolve the problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia by joint effort.

"We just have to do it so that we don’t leave this burden for our children. But to make this happen, first, we have to be able to change the social environment, which causes death, to relinquish the mechanisms fueling this environment, and we have to be able to drastically change the environment which incites violence and leads to the irreparable loss of young people’s lives."

Sargsyan claimed that though the Azerbaijani vice-speaker’s statement "was a far cry from reality", he had decided to respond to it. "And I hope that after an unbiased investigation into the mentioned child’ killing, you will be able to make another statement, no matter how difficult it would be."

Commenting on Sargsyan’s statement, Muradova said the Armenian leader had attempted "to show his nation in a good light".

"Labeling someone a child killer is a grave accusation. No one would accept such a stain -- neither an individual nor a government or a nation. But history shows that such an incident did not occur in the Armenians’ lives for the first time. And no matter how hard they try, they will not be able to get rid of this responsibility."

Sargsyan earlier denied the killing of the Azerbaijani child that has been strongly condemned by Baku, calling the alleged accusations "libelous" and "empty words" and saying such an incident occurring in the mentioned territory was "technically impossible".

Azerbaijani presidential aide Ali Hasanov labeled Sargsyan’s denial as "immoral".

"How immoral do you have to be to deny the killing of a nine-year-old kid by a sniper in broad daylight? His saying ‘the Armenian army would never raise its hand to a child’ is an absolute disgrace," Hasanov told the press on Thursday.