Azerbaijani president’s aide urges EU to address internal human rights issues Instead of criticising Baku  

In a fiery response on October 23, Assistant of the President of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev hit back at both the European Commission and the European Parliament, which he said had been influenced by the country's long-term rival, Armenia. 

"Some of the discussions at the European Parliament reminds us of a theater of the absurd or a circus," he told POLITICO in a statement, Caliber.Az reports.

"The world has seen the shameful practice of corruption at this institution. Many of those loud speakers against my country are on the payroll of the Armenian lobby and the Armenian government's PR and lobbying campaign" — he said. "I would also advise EU human rights commissioner to deal seriously with growing human rights problems in the European Union instead of preaching [to] others," added Hajiyev. "Calls for releasing Armenian war criminals who killed innocent Azerbaijani civilians are equal to releasing Nazi war criminals." 

By Naila Huseynova