10.1.Readers' Forum - Nagorno-Karabakh-What Category?

Spring 2002 (10.1)
Page 9

Readers' Forum
Nagorno-Karabakh-What Category?

(Letter sent to Radio Free Europe)
I'm writing to protest RFE/RL's publication on (Un)Civil Societies (Vol. 3, No. 3, 16 January, 2002). In this issue, news on Nagorno-Karabakh has been listed under the category of Armenia, thus creating the impression that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Armenia.

It is well known that Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) is recognized internationally as part of the Azerbaijan Republic, although since 1988 NK has been illegally occupied by Armenian military forces who are now seeking ways to legitimize their actions. Your publication helps them to achieve their goals when it lists Nagorno-Karabakh under Armenia.

RFE/RL is one of the most prominent sources on CIS issues and millions of academicians, students, political analysts, NGOs, media outlets, think-tanks and ordinary people receive daily news from you. For that reason, it's important that you disperse accurate and reliable information about the CIS countries.

I'm disappointed and frankly angered that RFE/RL allows this kind of mistake to be perpetrated in regard to Azerbaijan. This is not the first time that Azerbaijan has been misrepresented in your publications, and this causes you to lose credibility in the eyes of Azeri people. I believe your readers deserve accurate information.

Fariz Ismailzade (graduate student)
Washington University
St. Louis, MO

Official reply from Prague, where RFE/RL is based: "Thank you for sharing your views with me on this important issue. In the future - as in the past-RFE/RL will return to its practice of treating Karabakh issues under Azerbaijan."

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