Russian and Azerbaijani MFA Exchange "Compliments"

Baku / 16.02.18 / Turan: Ilham Aliyev's remarks at the Congress of the ruling party do not help reduce tensions. This was stated by the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Maria Zakharova at a briefing on February 15, commenting on Aliyev's statements that Yerevan and Zangezur are native Azerbaijani territories and the return of historical lands is Azerbaijan's strategic goal.

"In Moscow, of course, we saw reports about the speech of the President of Azerbaijan, I.H. Aliyev at the Congress of the ruling party. We know perfectly well that Azerbaijan's relations with neighboring Armenia are extremely tense. The said statement clearly does not help reduce tension," Zakharova said.

This comment provoked a response in Baku and today the spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev said that Zakharova's words caused "misunderstanding" in Baku.

Considering the strategic partnership between our countries, this attitude to the statements of the President of Azerbaijan "is considered incorrect," Hajiyev said.

"The Azerbaijani President did not speak about the return of historical lands, but about the return of Azerbaijanis to their historical lands," the Foreign Ministry's commentary says. -02D-