The term "shobla" used by Valuev ( i.e. uncivilized group of people in Russian), which is inappropriate for a parliamentarian, disgusted me.

Axar.az reports that this was stated by Russian expert Vitaly Arkov in response to the remarks made by State Duma Deputy Nikolai Valuev regarding Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan has already responded to the opinion of Deputy Valuev by declaring him a persona non grata. I believe that the situation with Valuev's statement should be discussed not in the media and blogosphere – this only increases the level of tension – but in inter-parliamentary dialogue. I know that a constructive and open dialogue has been established between Vyacheslav Volodin and Sahiba Gafarova. Moreover, some members of the Milli Majlis have also recently made sharp statements towards Russia. Therefore, Ms. Gafarova and Mr. Volodin have something to talk about and then conduct explanatory work among their colleagues. After all, parliamentarians, like diplomats, should jointly seek a way out of the crisis, not escalate it," noted the expert.

According to Arkov, the situation is aggravated by a wave of unfounded accusations and even outright slander directed at Russia from certain Azerbaijani media outlets:

"I hope that all of this reflects the personal stance of the authors of such materials and the editors-in-chief, rather than the official policy of Baku."