“Musavat” Party demands refutation from Qafqazinfo.az

On August 20, the “Musavat” Party sent an official letter to the editorial office of the news portal "Qafqazinfo.az," demanding a refutation of an article, a press release from the “Musavat” Party.

On August 12, the leader of the “Musavat” Party, Isa Gambar, and the head of the party's Majlis, Arif Hajili, met with the head of the European Union (EU) delegation in Azerbaijan, Ambassador Peter Michalko, and diplomats from European countries.

"At the meeting initiated by the EU delegation,  the parties discussed the socio-political situation in the country, the early parliamentary elections scheduled for September 1, the issue of political prisoners, and relations between the EU and Azerbaijan. The meeting was attended by Peter Michalko, head of the EU office in Baku, as well as other diplomats from EU countries operating in Azerbaijan.

However, on August 13, Qafqazinfo.az and some other pro-government media outlets published false and defamatory information about this meeting. The information regarding the participants, the purpose of the meeting, and the topics discussed is entirely fabricated and defamatory. The EU Delegation in Azerbaijan also protested this defamation by pro-government media in its statement," the “Musavat” Party's press release stated. The “Musavat” Party is demanding that Qafqazinfo.az publish a refutation of the mentioned lies and slander and apologize to the “Musavat” Party. Otherwise, a lawsuit will be filed.

According to Qafqazinfo.az, during the meeting, Ambassador Peter Michalko raised the issue of the opposition's inactivity and conveyed the serious dissatisfaction of the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, regarding the situation.

Touching on the situation in Azerbaijan, Michalko reportedly said that for many years, the US and the EU have been providing significant funds to the opposition to ensure the activity of opposition forces, influence, and pressure on the government, as Qafqazinfo.az claimed. The EU Mission categorically denied  this publication as false and provocative.