A resolution adopted by the European Parliament for closer ties with Armenia drew the ire of Azerbaijan. Baku said on Thursday that the resolution contained "unfounded and biased" rhetoric.
A commentary by Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada published by the ministry said the resolution served as a "clear example of a recurrent double-standards approach against Azerbaijan." Claiming that the resolution is sponsored by multiple groups in the European Parliament influenced by Armenia and the Armenian lobby, Hajizada said the resolution is part of a "smear campaign" against Baku.
Hajizada further said the resolution contains "ludicrous and offensive" statements that go "beyond political ethics contradicting the essence of international relations," as well as statements that violate Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The resolution "condemns" what it calls Azerbaijan's "military incursions into the internationally recognized territory of Armenia and claims Azerbaijan threatened the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia.
"The European Parliament may prove a more useful institution if it addresses more serious issues plaguing Europe, such as racial discrimination, Islamophobia, xenophobia, extremism and inhumane treatment of migrants, instead of interfering with the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia," Hajizada also said. "We remind MEPs (members of the European Parliament) that such resolutions, which have nothing to do with the European Parliament's declared values, completely invalidate its role as an institution," he added.
