Baku, Azerbaijan, June 4
By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:
Officials of some international organizations abuse their status and act as the element of the sponsored campaign to discredit Azerbaijan held by some circles on the eve of the First European Games, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hikmet Hajiyev said June 4.
He was commenting on the article published on the openDemocracy portal authored by Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muiznieks, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Fors and the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic.
The authors of the article criticized Azerbaijan in connection with the situation of human rights.
Hajiyev said that with their actions, these persons prove that they do not serve the goals and tasks of their organizations, but to the interests of some political circles.
The spokesperson said that the First European Games in Baku serve to the development of the intercultural and interreligious dialogue, friendship, partnership and peace which is relevant today in the European continent.
While the resolution adopted at the 69th session of UN General Assembly underlines the significance of the European Games, these persons attempt to carry out activities contrary to the will of the international community, Hajiyev said.
Unfortunately, when it comes to human rights, these persons do not have the courage to talk about the violation of rights of over a million Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs as a result of the Armenian aggression, he added.
Baku 2015 is the first ever European Games, an exciting and innovative multi-sport event for the continent which will take place on June 12-28, 2015.
There will be a total of 20 sports at Baku 2015: 16 Olympic sports and four non-Olympic sports. More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe will be representing their nations over 17 days of competition.
Baku was awarded the games by the European Olympic Committees (EOC) in December 2012.
Edited by SI
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