BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 7. On January 7, during an interview with local television channels, President Ilham Aliyev spoke about the insulting remarks made by the mullah of Ardabil towards Azerbaijan and its citizens.
"As for the provincial mullah's hateful attitude towards us, this is not the first time. That mullah from the city of Ardabil has repeatedly used insulting expressions against Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani people, including me. The question here is what the attitude of the person who appointed him to that position is. After all, he did not come and sit there on his own. We know very well who appointed him. What is his reaction, does he support this or not, and who will apologize to Azerbaijan? Will they apologize or not?
The regret in the statement of the Iranian Foreign Ministry is not enough. There was an open insult: both the presidents of Türkiye and Azerbaijan, our peoples, and during a live broadcast at an official event. And only regret? This, of course, is unacceptable. Therefore, we believe that the provincial mullah should be punished. At the very least, he should be dismissed from his post and made to apologize to Azerbaijan. This is the point," President Ilham Aliyev said.