BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 28. We categorically reject the claims by Mehdi Sobhani, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Armenia, regarding the Western Azerbaijan Community, said Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
"The manipulative interpretation by the Ambassador of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) decisions on Western Azerbaijan Community adopted in Istanbul causes surprise and indignation, as it distorts the clear intent of the resolutions to uphold justice for and human rights of the Community who were systematically expelled through violence, intimidation, and gross violations from the present-day Armenia.
If the Ambassador is not aware about the text of the decisions adopted by the OIC, we would recommend him to read them carefully. The decisions, including the resolution titled “The Right of Return of the Azerbaijanis Forcefully and Systemically Expelled from the Territory of the Present-Day Armenia,” reflect undeniable historical facts grounded in international law and principles of justice. These resolutions call for the restoration of the fundamental rights of displaced Azerbaijanis, not territorial claims as falsely portrayed by Armenia and echoed by the Iranian Ambassador. Moreover, the resolution, among others, condemns Armenia’s continued denial of Community’s fundamental rights.
The Ambassador’s false statements that are calculated to meet the needs of Armenia are particularly egregious as they contradict the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran represented in Istanbul at the level of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who along with 57 countries supported the decisions on Western Azerbaijan Community.
The Ambassador’s regular and systematically provocative anti-Azerbaijani rhetoric is aimed at undermining the relations between Azerbaijan and Iran.
Championing Armenia’s distortions with such a fervor, namely to be more Catholic than the Pope, will not bring an honor," the statement reads.