Issue of Azerbaijan`s encouragement of hate crimes is on agenda of  OSCE Permanent Council meeting

ArmInfo. On July 30 in Vienna, at  the initiative of the Armenian delegation, the issue of Azerbaijan's  encouragement of hate crimes was included in the agenda of the OSCE  Permanent Council meeting. The RA MFA reports.

The Permanent Representative of Armenia, Ambassador Armen Papikyan,  presenting cases of violence against Armenians and members of  Armenian communities in the OSCE participating States and other  countries, the disruption of the normal functioning of Armenian  diplomatic missions in some countries and the deliberate destruction  of their property, noted that these are hate crimes based on  ethnicity carried out by some groups of Azerbaijanis with the aim of  intimidating and persecuting Armenians, members of Armenian community  structures.

Then Papikyan informed the representatives of the OSCE participating  States that the aggressive actions of these groups of Azerbaijanis  were organized and directed by the Azerbaijani embassies in these  countries. Moreover, the evidence from the Armenian side testifies to  the fact that in at least one case the organization of these actions  was also assisted by the Turkish embassy.

The Ambassador stressed that violence against Armenians in different  countries, while it seems to be a new phenomenon, is nevertheless a  continuation of the propaganda of anti-Armenian hatred, which the  Azerbaijani society has been subjected to for decades. In this  regard, the Permanent Representative of Armenia noted that the policy  of Armenophobia, aimed at instilling hatred and intolerance towards  Armenians among the population of Azerbaijan, is being carried out at  the highest state level.

Papikyan then noted that Armenia has always drawn the attention of  its international partners to the anti-Armenian policy and propaganda  of the Azerbaijani authorities, warning that with such a high level  of Armenophobia, it can easily move to the territory of other  countries, which we are witnessing today: "We are convinced that the  absence the corresponding reaction from the international community,  which is tantamount to the connivance of Azerbaijan and its  dictatorial authorities, further encourages the ruling regime in this  country to continue the propaganda of Armenophobia>.

In his speech, the Permanent Representative of Armenia strongly  condemned the violence against Armenians in different countries,  which is another manifestation of the irresponsible policy of Baku  and is consonant with the policy and rhetoric of the Azerbaijani  leadership to incite hostility between the two peoples without  geographical restrictions.