Baku to UN: Armenia honours racists while preaching anti-discrimination

Azerbaijan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Tofiq Musayev, has addressed a formal letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, condemning what he described as the provocative rhetoric of the Armenian representative during a recent UN session.

The Azerbaijani diplomatic mission told local media that the letter was officially circulated as a document of both the UN General Assembly and the Security Council, per Caliber.Az.

In his letter, Musayev sharply criticised Armenia’s participation in a solemn UN meeting marking the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. He described it as ironic and inappropriate, given Armenia’s domestic policies and practices.

“It is particularly ironic,” Musayev wrote, “that Armenia—a monoethnic state with a long-standing and deeply entrenched policy of ethnic exclusivity and intolerance, where international terrorists, war criminals, and racist ideologues are welcomed and celebrated as national heroes—would choose to address a commemorative session dedicated to the fight against racial discrimination.”

The Azerbaijani envoy argued that the Armenian representative’s remarks contradicted the spirit of the event and undermined the credibility of the country's participation. According to Musayev, Armenia’s address had “the exact opposite effect,” and left UN member states “bewildered and unsettled” due to what he called the stark inconsistency between the Armenian government’s conciliatory public statements and the inciting tone used by its representative at the UN.

The Azerbaijani diplomatic mission included excerpts of the letter in its public statement, highlighting the contrast between Armenia’s proclaimed intentions and its actions, and accusing Yerevan of hypocrisy on issues of racial discrimination, tolerance, and human rights.

By Tamilla Hasanova