Low Standards of Democracy in Azerbaijan Hinder the Advancement of the Nagorno-Karabakh Process: Naghdalyan

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Anna Naghdalyan, has responded to the speech made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in parliament.

The statement from the MFA spokesperson is as follows:

“The President of Azerbaijan delivered an extensive speech at the opening session of the newly appointed parliament, wherein clear manifestations of hatred against Armenia and the Armenian people were once again evident. The low legitimacy of the results of the last parliamentary elections and the inability of the Azerbaijani authorities to implement political and democratic reforms are being obscured by aggressive, unfounded, and fabricated claims targeting not only Armenia and the Armenian people but also European countries, European institutions, and the international observation mission that observed the elections in Azerbaijan.

It is particularly concerning that the Azerbaijani leadership is trying to play the religious card in its baseless accusations, blaming European countries for violations of migrants' rights on religious grounds while simultaneously calling for religious solidarity in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The propaganda of enmity against the Armenian people, accompanied by the Azerbaijani president’s new 'discoveries' of historical and geographical aspects, fundamentally contradicts Azerbaijan's commitments to create a favorable environment for peace and prepare the peoples for coexistence.

In this regard, it should be noted that the existing extremely low standards of democracy and human rights in Azerbaijan seriously hinder the advancement of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, particularly the implementation of agreements reached within that framework.

Azerbaijan's attempts to base its legitimacy on hatred toward a neighboring people and distrust of the international community are irresponsible and may jeopardize the peace and security of the region.”