Azernews.Az

A senior Azerbaijani official has said some forces backed by the Armenian lobby are seeking to sow discord between Azerbaijan and Turkey.

"There are some centers, operating with the Armenian lobby's support, which want to create confrontation, to tarnish the brotherly and friendly relations between Azerbaijan and Turkey," Ali Hasanov, the Presidential Administration’s head of social and political issues, told the Baku-based Trend news agency Tuesday.

Hasanov said some media "use all their imagination" to destroy the friendship between the two long-standing allies, adding that there are such media outlets in Turkey, Azerbaijan and other countries.

Earlier, some Turkish media outlets reported that Azerbaijan has failed to provide enough support to Turkey over the recent passage in the French Senate of the law which envisages criminal prosecution of those denying the alleged "Armenian genocide" in Ottoman Turkey.

He added that Azerbaijan has stood by Turkey since the issue regarding the "genocide" denial law came to the forefront, and will continue to support the country.

Hasanov said the Turkish government appreciates Azerbaijan’s support on the issue.

He also touched on Ankara’s recent call to exclude France from the co-chairmanship in the OSCE Minsk Group, which is mediating peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

"Turkey is a member of the Minsk Group," he said. "It took the initiative to expel France from the Group. In any case, Turkey will raise this issue at the next meeting of the MG and it will be considered."

Hasanov added that Azerbaijan's official circles are discussing "measures that could be taken from the legal point of view".