Azerbaijan Urges EU Mission in Armenia to Refrain from Spreading False Allegations


(MENAFN) Azerbaijan has denied accusations that it is planning an imminent attack on Armenia, while calling on the EU Mission in Armenia to avoid spreading "false and slanderous allegations." Markus Ritter, head of the EU Mission in Armenia, recently mentioned Yerevan's allegations against Baku and stated that preventing such an attack "will be a success of the EU Mission" in an interview with German news outlet DW. However, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada criticized Ritter for making statements based on the "false and misleading allegations of Armenia."

Hajizada accused Ritter of making it seem as if the EU mission's primary task is "protecting Armenia from Azerbaijan" in a statement on Tuesday. He emphasized that Baku has repeatedly stressed the need to prevent the mission from being misused to undermine the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to Hajizada, Armenia should not be allowed to abuse the presence of the EU mission to aggravate the situation and evade its obligations.

Hajizada called for ensuring that the EU mission takes into account the legitimate interests of Azerbaijan and that its activities are carried out in a way that does not undermine mutual trust and confidence. He added that the EU mission should not make false and slanderous allegations and should act according to its mandate. The statement comes amid tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, with both sides accusing each other of violating a ceasefire agreement that ended a six-week war in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in November 2020.

The EU mission's mandate is to monitor the implementation of the agreement and support the parties in its implementation. It aims to help stabilize the situation, build confidence between the parties, and promote a peaceful settlement of the conflict. The mission's presence is seen as an important step towards achieving lasting peace and security in the region. However, tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia remain high, and the EU mission's role in the conflict remains a sensitive issue.

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