The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry declined to clarify for Turan the conflict reported by the Politico website between Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the EU Vagif Sadikhov and Armenia's head of diplomatic representation to the EU, Tigran Balayan. The Ministry only confirmed that Politico had indeed communicated with the Azerbaijani ambassador and that he told the foreign media outlet that everything Balayan claimed was false.
Previously, Armenia's embassy sent an official note to other diplomatic missions in Brussels after "Armenia's head of diplomatic representation to the EU, Tigran Balayan, claimed that Azerbaijan's ambassador to Brussels, Vagif Sadikhov, threatened to kill him," Politico reports.
According to Politico, a letter circulated among ambassadors stated that Armenia's Ambassador Tigran Balayan faced verbal attacks and intimidation from Azerbaijan’s Ambassador Vagif Sadikhov, who allegedly issued direct threats to his life.
The incident reportedly occurred at a reception at the Tangla Hotel in Brussels, organized by the Turkish Embassy to mark the country’s national day. Sadikhov, in an interview with Politico, denied these allegations, calling them “absurd.” He described the reception as having "good food, pleasant people" and as a "standard diplomatic event." “I am unaware of any letter or accusation – Armenian diplomats can claim whatever they like,” he said.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizadeh, speaking with Turan, referenced Politico's November 4, 2024, publication, confirming Sadikhov’s remarks regarding Armenian fabrications: “we have no further explanations,” stated the spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
Unfortunately, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry does not serve as the primary source of information, instead continuing to withhold comments on significant events relevant to the country, which local journalists often learn about from foreign media. Moreover, the Ministry advises Azerbaijani journalists to trust every word of Politico — an American political journalism organization based in the U.S. This is surprising, given the strained relationship between official Azerbaijan and Western journalists, who are accused in Baku of anti-Azerbaijani activities. Azerbaijani journalists working with the West are accused by Baku of criminal connections. So why does the Foreign Ministry insist on directing us to foreign media?
Politics
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The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (OPHRD), a joint program of the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has called for the urgent release of activist Rufat Safarov from prison in Azerbaijan. It has launched a campaign in support of the Azerbaijani human rights defender. https://www.omct.org/en/resources/urgent-interventions/arbitrary-detention-and-judicial-harassment-against-rufat-safarov
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This year, the laureate of the annual Nargiz Prize, awarded for efforts in the fight for democracy, was Akif Gurbanov, chairman of the board of the Resplatforma (Platform of the III Republic) movement, who is under arrest.
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The U.S. will prohibit the issuing of visas for nearly a dozen more individuals responsible for undermining democracy in Georgia, bringing the total number to over 100, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
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The President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, has expressed condolences to the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, following the tragic incident in the city of Magdeburg. "We are deeply shocked by the news of the deaths and injuries resulting from the tragic incident that took place at the Christmas market in Magdeburg," the message reads.
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