Aide to the President of Azerbaijan accused Senator Menendez of racism and lies

Baku/13.09.23/Turan: In a scathing rebuke aimed at the U.S. Congress, the Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Hikmet Hajiyev, took to Twitter to decry what he referred to as "open lobbying, blatant lies, and racist hatred" targeting Azerbaijanis. Hajiyev's comments were made in response to a statement by Chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Menendez, who had recently come under fire for his controversial remarks.

Hajiyev did not mince words, lamenting the damage inflicted upon the United States' image and global reputation by certain members of Congress. He opined, "It's a shame!"

The uproar stemmed from Senator Menendez's speech on September 12 in the Senate, during which he presented a photograph of a man purportedly deceased due to starvation in the disputed region of Karabakh. Menendez used the image to castigate the Azerbaijani leadership, linking their policies to the tragic death and calling for sanctions against Azerbaijan's leaders.

Hajiyev, however, countered Menendez's claims, alleging that the image was fraudulent and that the man in question had succumbed to cancer rather than hunger. He went further, asserting that even Armenians had ceased to employ the image after the emergence of medical reports that contradicted the starvation narrative.

This latest exchange underscores the deep divisions and controversies surrounding the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its international implications. The dispute continues to be a source of tension in the South Caucasus region, with global actors, including the United States, closely monitoring developments. As both sides engage in a war of words, the quest for a peaceful resolution to this long-standing conflict remains an ongoing challenge.--03D—