"The morning with Vladimir Solovyev" program of the Russian radio station "Vesti FM" featured insulting attacks against the Republic of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijani people on November 1 2001. 
Chairman of the Russian community of Azerbaijan, MP Mikhail Zabelin and representative of the Jewish community of Azerbaijan, deputy Yevda Abramov made a joint statement and appealed to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Director general of All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company Oleg Dobrodeev.
The statement says: "V.Solovyev violated all norms of ethics of journalism and named Azerbaijanis as a "side, for which a drop of Armenian blood is a subject of wild inhumanity and brutal abhorrence". The inadmissible and abusive expressions concerning Azerbaijanis as "who came in large numbers," "who brought down the markets," "who spit upon our culture," "who run as black hawks," etc went on air. In answer to fair indignation of Azerbaijani audience, B.Solovyev named them "scum," who dared to "open their dirty mouth to citizens of the Russian Federation."
The presenter tried to represent Azerbaijan as a "racist country," and frankly called people to boycott Azerbaijanis and their business.
Solovyev, who is a member of the presidium of Russian Jewish Congress, let himself compare Azerbaijanis` attitude to Armenians as "Holocaust" and "tragedy of the Jewish people".
We, the representatives of Russian and Jewish communities of Azerbaijan protest against Solovyev`s behavior and insults concerning multinational Azerbaijani people. We consider that accusation of the country in racism, where representatives of dozens of nationalities live in friendship and peace is blasphemy.
Undoubtedly, such provocations are aimed at worsening good neighborly relations between the two countries.
It is depressing that the offensive expressions, frankly extremist calls for unleashing international discord were made on air of the radio station- one of the largest state media-corporation of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company.
We ask You to undertake necessary measures concerning the "journalist", who insulted the Azerbaijani people in the live broadcast.
We hope that forces, which try to play anti-Azerbaijani card and cause a split between the relations of Azerbaijan and Russia will get a worthy repulse.

AzerTAc