Baku slams Armenian hate crime campaign against Azerbaijani envoy, embassy in USA
By Vafa Ismayilova
Baku has strongly condemned a campaign full of hatred and threats by radical Armenian groups targeting the Azerbaijani embassy in the USA and Ambassador Elin Suleymanov.
"We strongly condemn such acts and expect the bodies responsible for preventing such provocations in the relevant countries to approach their duties with full responsibility. As it is known, in accordance with the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, it is the responsibility of the host country to prevent any attack on a diplomat, his identity, liberty and honor," Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Leyla Abdullayeva said on January 31.
Abdullayeva added that "regrettably, this is not the first time that we have encountered hate crimes by Armenian radical groups against Azerbaijani diplomats, as well as members of Azerbaijani communities in foreign countries. I would like to remind that in July last year, radical Armenian groups carried out extremely aggressive provocative actions against peaceful Azerbaijani demonstrators in foreign countries, including the United States, as well as against our diplomatic missions".
She stressed that such actions of radical Armenians in foreign countries demonstrate that "these people are not interested in the establishment of peace and security, as well as peaceful coexistence in our region. Their actions only serve to incite hatred and enmity between the nations. This once again proves that such radical Armenian groups in foreign countries neither think about the future welfare of Armenia nor the Armenian people".
On January 29, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging Armenia to refrain from the policy of ethnic and religious hatred.
"Ethnic and religious hatred has no future, and these ideas can be a disaster for the state and the people who promote it. Armenia must refrain from these dangerous tendencies and make efforts to establish international peace, cooperation, and prosperity. Undoubtedly, this will benefit Armenia, the region, and the international community,” the statement said.
The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated for the second time in 2020 after Armenia's forces deployed in the occupied Azerbaijani lands targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, causing casualties among civilians and the military. In the early hours of September 27, Azerbaijan launched a counter-offensive operation which lasted six weeks. The operation resulted in the liberation of Azerbaijan's occupied lands.
A Russia-brokered ceasefire deal that Azerbaijan and Armenia signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to the 44-day war between the two countries. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied.
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