Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani lawmakers responded harshly to recent criticism of Azerbaijan by Germany and its diplomats over alleged human rights abuses.

Parliament speaker Ogtay Asadov criticized German MP Christoph Strasser, who acts as the Council of Europe parliamentary assembly rapporteur for alleged political prisoners in Azerbaijan. Asadov said Strasser's calling for a boycott of the European soccer championship due in Ukraine, the ice hockey world championship due in Belarus and the Eurovision song contest to be held in the Azerbaijani capital Baku in late May ``demonstrates his level``.

On his web-blog Strasser explained his suggestion to boycott the 57th Eurovision Song Contest in Baku by alleged human rights violations in Azerbaijan.

Speaker Asadov said Strasser and the German Ombudsman are biased and trying to put pressure on Azerbaijan.

``They are violating the rights of hundreds of thousands, millions of people, making no mention of the problem facing a million [Azerbaijani] refugees [displaced during a brutal war with neighboring Armenia in the early 1990s],`` Asadov said. ``They are trying to pressure Azerbaijan under the guise of human rights.``

Deputy parliament speaker Ziyafat Asgarov told the Milli Majlis that it is now clear that Azerbaijani opposition acts in concert with some foreign forces opposed to Azerbaijan.

``We have enough facts about this at hand,`` he said. ``Those facts will be disclosed in due time.``

Asgarov said the opposition could postpone its protests for at least a month, for the sake of safe conduct of the significant Eurovision song contest and Azerbaijani statehood. ``But what is happening and the statements being made in Germany have shown that the opposition acts in line with the interests of international organizations.``

According to the deputy speaker, the press in Azerbaijan is free, as it is in Germany.

``Why is it considered normal when the German press issues critical reports about Azerbaijan, but when the Azerbaijani press does so, the German embassy reacts, labeling this as pursuing an anti-Germany campaign?`` Asgarov queried.

The German embassy in Azerbaijan issued a strongly worded statement last Thursday over a recent article published in the Yeni (New) Azerbaijan newspaper, the media outlet of the ruling Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party (YAP). The embassy claimed that Yeni Azerbaijan is causing ``a dangerous environment of mistrust`` by leveling accusations against German political foundations. The Azerbaijani embassy in Germany responded on Monday, saying that the diplomatic mission's response was ``surprising``. The embassy also said it is aggravating that German human rights commissioner Markus Loning, German CoE assembly representative Christoph Strasser and some Bundestag members have actively participated in a systematic anti-Azerbaijani campaign, pursued by some circles in Germany since Azerbaijan's victory at the Eurovision song contest in Dusseldorf last May.

Azerbaijani MP Chingiz Ganizada said the German Ombudsman and ``some persons in Azerbaijan`` led the way in the recent criticism aimed at the country.

YAP Executive Secretary Ali Ahmadov said some forces in Germany have devised a tactics against Azerbaijan and the German ambassador to the country is an implementer of this tactics.

YAP Deputy Executive Secretary Mubariz Gurbanli accused the German ambassador of interference with the country's internal affairs, saying it runs counter to international conventions.