BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 12
Trend:
One should actually not bother to speak for two minutes at the so-called “democracy summit”, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev said in an interview with local TV channels on January 12, 2022, Trend reports.
"When I was in Brussels, I told the EU leadership that this could happen. The main thing is that this agenda should be properly prepared and that Armenia should act sincerely. Because, as you know, in many cases Armenia has said one word to one partner, exactly the opposite to another and the third version to a third partner. In other words, this cannot be a long-term policy because sooner or later things will be revealed. Our position is unequivocal and I have openly stated it. And yes, I think that the European Union can play a role in the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. I welcome this, and to put it simply, the principle of justice should play the key role here. So far, unlike some countries, the European Union has maintained justice. As I mentioned earlier, during the war, France, which was supposed to be neutral as a mediator, unequivocally sided with Armenia. After the war, the United States, which should be neutral as a mediator, openly sided with Armenia too. This can be proved by mentioning only two incidents in the media. The first was the invitation of Armenia to the so-called “summit of democracy”, even though Armenia and democracy are located on different poles. Human rights are grossly violated in Armenia, political opposition is imprisoned and political rivals are persecuted. What deeds was Armenia invited there and Azerbaijan was not? That is open discrimination. Secondly, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia was recently invited to Washington, where he held meetings. The Secretary of the Security Council of Azerbaijan was not invited. It is a different matter that we are not invited. We did not lose anything and one should actually not bother to speak for two minutes at the so-called “democracy summit”. But the fact is that the balance is being disrupted, it is demonstrated that the current American administration is unilaterally on the side of Armenia, which is their own business. We, as they say, simply express our views, and, of course, we will take this into account in our policy. The European Union has not been in such balance disrupting situations. At the last meeting in Brussels, full parity was maintained, which gives us reason to believe that they can play a positive role in the normalization of relations between the two countries. It can be, at the same time, related to the activities of the Zangazur corridor, economic and financial assistance, as I said, if it is fair. There is a great intellectual potential in Europe, there is experience and they can give their recommendations on defining the borders. So they can be of help in many areas. In any case, we welcome it," the head of state said.