Russia is Our Neighbor, but Ukraine is Also Our Neighbor - Hajiev

Hikmet Hajiev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department, presented Azerbaijan's position on the Russia-Ukraine war in an interview with the Slovak publication "Hospodárske noviny".

"Russia is our neighbor. We have friendly relations with it. Maintaining good relations with neighbors is the number one priority not only for Azerbaijan but for every country in the world. The same applies to Ukraine. You know very well that during the Soviet Union, we lived together with Russians and Ukrainians. We have long-term interpersonal relationships with both countries. We have continued these relationships after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many Azerbaijanis live in Russia and Ukraine. We have numerous mixed marriages. Therefore, what is happening there today is indeed a great tragedy," Hajiev stated.

"The cornerstone of our policy is the absolutely inviolable principle of territorial integrity. Our country has suffered from the violation of this principle in the past. Therefore, we unequivocally support the protection of the territorial integrity of other countries. But at the same time, we maintain a distance from getting involved in the military confrontation between Russians and Ukrainians in any way," the presidential assistant emphasized.

He noted that Azerbaijan maintains an "unbiased distance in providing any military component in this conflict. We only provide humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, primarily for children who are the most affected by it. We also supply some necessary equipment, such as electric generators. We do not participate in military assistance in any way," the assistant to the President of Azerbaijan emphasized.