BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 12
Trend:
If we knew about recent illegal visit of Valerie Pecresse, we wouldn't have let them back, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local TV channels on January 12, 2022, Trend reports.
“The same steps were taken in connection with the recent illegal visit of Valerie Pecresse. We were told that they did not see it, did not know of it, that it fell out of focus, that she went there in an ordinary car, and so on. However, this doesn’t sound very convincing. I have to state everything the way it is – both positive and negative things. It was an organized trip, because Valerie Pecresse could not go there with the escort she wanted and went with a very limited number of people. She was accompanied by France’s former foreign minister, EU Commissioner Barnier, and an MP. They went there secretly and returned. The news came out only when they had returned. They were probably afraid that we would have stopped them in the Lachin corridor. Because if we knew they were there, we wouldn't have let them back, clearly. The Lachin corridor is under our control. You have been to Shusha and seen it. We can stop any car there and no-one can tell us anything. Therefore, such cases do occur. This is absolutely unacceptable and must be stopped. According to my information, Armenian representatives visiting Karabakh appeal to the peacekeeping mission regarding the visits of foreign citizens. These are either allowed or not allowed. In general, I can say that we have accurate information about all the events taking place at the entrance and exit to and from Khankandi and in surrounding areas. Therefore, it is not serious to try to conceal something from us or to say, “We did not see or did not know about that.”” the head of state said.