I Am Ashamed of This Man's Conduct: Edmon Marukyan

Former Armenian ambassador for special missions Edmon Marukyan has stated that he is ashamed of the actions of Charles Michel, the President of the European Council.

In a post on his microblog, Marukyan reacted to Michel's commentary on the Russian presidential elections: "European Council President Charles Michel mockingly congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on the commencement of the presidential elections, emphasizing that there is no opposition, no freedom, and no choice. I would not have responded to this mocking congratulation if Charles Michel had applied EU standards equally. This same Charles Michel congratulated Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev days ago on his re-election and wished him well for his new mandate. It is strange, but the congratulation addressed to Aliyev, who inherited the presidency of Azerbaijan from his father in 2003 and has been in power for 21 years, winning his fifth term with 92.05% of the votes, contains no sarcasm or mockery. He also does not mention that there is no opposition, freedom, or choice in Azerbaijan.

No word on political prisoners, massive human rights violations, journalists in Azerbaijan and exile, and those journalists and outspoken bloggers who are subjected to criminal prosecution and persecution. Since we are both members of the ALDE (Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe), I am ashamed of this man's conduct and his practice of double standards, and this man represents the EU. I am glad about one thing; this hypocrite's term is expiring, and I hope to see more appropriate figures leading the EU in the future."