By making anti-Armenian statements from international tribunes Azeri politicians are just trying to assert themselves in the eyes of their own authorities, the head of the Armenian delegation to the PA BSEC Gagik Minasyan told journalists on Saturday.
He said that during the PA BSEC's ongoing plenary session in Sofia the head of the Azeri delegation Asaf Gajiyev said that Azerbaijan was unable to develop its tourism because 20% of its territory was "occupied" by Armenia.
"He also said that in Armenia tourism could not develop because of human rights violations. We gave a worthy response to them, so, their insinuations had no effect," Minasyan said.
He said that during the session Turkey urged the PA BSEC to support its candidacy for hosting the 2020 Olympic Games.
"We were the only delegation who did not support that initiative. We explained that Olympic Games are not just sports but a holiday of peace and kindness – something we do not see in Turkey - the country that continues blockading us. We could not act contrary to the Olympic ideals, so, we abstained from voting," Minasyan said.