According to the Azeri Press Agency, Justice and Development Party MP Ercan Candan took issue with Raffi Hovannisian’s comments at the 7th General Assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties now underway in Baku. 

Hovannisian, leader of Armenia’s Heritage Party, noted that the term “occupation” shouldn’t be used by Azerbaijanis and others when referring to Nagorno-Karabakh. 

The diaspora born Hovannisian argued that when it comes to the concept of “occupation”, Armenians have suffered to a far greater degree and pointed to Turkey, implying the usurpation of western Armenian territories. 

APA reports that Candan described Armenian claims of genocide as a “distortion” of history. 

The Turkish MP noted that his country had faced occupation by four European states early in the past century. 

“Though Armenians and Turks had coexisted in Turkey by that time, later they took advantage of the situation and went for separatism. At that time we defeated the occupants. But we did not expel Armenians from Turkey; they left Turkey of their own accord.”