Borel Distorts Aliyev's Views on Historical Facts Regarding Territories of Azerbaijan and Armenia: Hajiyev

Azerbaijan firmly rejects the "unfounded" claims made by Josep Borel, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, during a press conference following the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting this past Monday. This was stated by Ayhan Hajiyev, the head of the Press Service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to him, "the blatant distortion of facts by the EU High Representative is a disregard for Azerbaijan's legitimate interests, and such threatening rhetoric is a glaring example of double standards that exacerbate relations between Azerbaijan and the EU."

"The High Representative not only completely distorts the views of the President of Azerbaijan regarding historical facts about the territories of Azerbaijan and Armenia but also incites a warlike and aggressive policy against Azerbaijan," Hajiyev stated.

He further noted that "despite the fact that the international community has made no effort to persuade Armenia to act in accordance with international legal norms and principles, Azerbaijan has always been committed to negotiations with Armenia, peace, and stability."

Following the meeting of EU foreign ministers held in Brussels yesterday, Josep Borel announced that the member states of the alliance agree that Azerbaijan must return to substantive regulation of relations with Armenia and peaceful negotiations. He added, "President Ilham Aliyev's recent territorial demands raise significant concerns, and any violation of Armenia's territorial integrity will be unacceptable and will have serious consequences for our relations with Azerbaijan."