Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Ali Hasanov, the deputy prime minister of Azerbaijan, head of the State Committee on Affairs of Refugees and IDPs has lambasted a resolution on Azerbaijan adopted by the European Parliament, evaluating it as biased and groundless.

He made the remarks during an event discussing the European Parliament’s latest resolution on the country on September 14.

Hasanov said over 600 of 751 MPs took part in the voting procedure on adopting the document against Azerbaijan in the European Parliament, noting that the EP has no authority to adopt a resolution on Azerbaijan.

He went on to say that the European Parliament’s powers are limited to adopting laws that can only be enforced within the European Union, and exercising control over implementation of these laws and the EU budget.

“We were aware that Europe’s envy towards Azerbaijan is growing and the increase of such cases following the successful holding of the First European Games in the country proves that,” the official stated, adding that influence and financing from the Armenian diaspora also played a key role in the passing of the resolution.

He noted that Armenia is scared of Azerbaijan’s success, as well as the latest exercises of Azerbaijani army.

“Twenty percent of Azerbaijani territories have been occupied and one million people became refugees and IDPs. Why doesn’t the European Parliament, which is mired in corruption, react to this?” the deputy prime minister asked.

The precarious ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which was reached after a lengthy war that displaced over a million Azerbaijanis, has been in place between the two South Caucasus countries since 1994. Since the hostilities, the Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on its pullout from the neighboring country's territories.

Hasanov, however, added that although the European Parliament has adopted a resolution against Azerbaijan, it is necessary to work with it.

“I invite them to Azerbaijan. Let them come here and see everything with their own eyes,” he said.

Furthermore, the official stressed that an appeal will be addressed to the Azerbaijani president and the European Parliament on behalf of the Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons to annul the biased EP resolution on Azerbaijan.

Hasanov gave relevant instructions in preparing the text of the appeal.

He also urged the Azerbaijani diplomatic missions accredited to European countries to work with members and factions of the European Parliament to help them amend their biased attitudes toward Azerbaijan.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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