Azerbaijan rejects Iranian envoy’s allegations as “political manipulation”

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has strongly rejected recent claims made by Iran’s Ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, regarding the outcome document of the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), held in the Azerbaijani city of Khankendi.

In an official statement on July 9, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said the ambassador’s comments were “unacceptable,” firmly rejecting allegations concerning the adoption of the summit’s final communiqué, Caliber.Az reports.

“We would like to bring to the attention of the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran that as agreed in advance with the ECO member states in line with the practices of previous summits, the Khankendi Communiqué, which reflects the outcomes of the Summit, was prepared in the format of a Chairman’s Summary, without the need to separate approval from the member states, and was published on the official website of the Organization,” Hajizada said.

He stressed that Ambassador Sobhani’s claims that Iran placed reservations on the communiqué “do not reflect the actual situation,” adding that “in diplomatic practice, reservations can only be made in relation to decisions adopted as a result of negotiations.”

Hajizada pointed out that all ECO member states, including Iran, are also members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and had previously supported the right of return for the Western Azerbaijan Community. He referenced the resolution adopted during the 51st session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Istanbul on June 21–22, which condemned Armenia’s denial of this right.

“The reality is that all the member countries of ECO, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, are also members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC], and all these states, including Iran, have supported the right of return of Western Azerbaijan Community to their homeland with dignity and condemned Armenia's denial of the rights of this Community,” Hajizada said.

He noted that the Khankendi Communiqué “refers specifically to this Declaration, which was adopted by consensus within the ECO.”

Concluding his remarks, Hajizada dismissed the Iranian Ambassador’s interview with Armenia’s Armenpress as disingenuous. 

“Therefore, the remarks made by the Iranian Ambassador in his interview with Armenia’s Armenpress are nothing more than political manipulation and hypocrisy,” he finalised. 

By Sabina Mammadli