Azerbaijani diplomat issues strong response to British Sunday Times editor

The Azerbaijani ambassador to the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Elin Suleymanov gave a harsh answer to the editor of the British Sunday Times, Azernews reports.

It should be noted that the British journalist, who criticized Azerbaijan in a biased manner, made nonsense statements about the COP event to be held in Baku. His groundless criticism of Azerbaijan regarding the peace process completely contradicts the facts.

The response letter of the Azerbaijani ambassador was published on the British website The Times under the subtitle "Letter to the Editor of the Sunday Times" and the letter reads:

A true peace process

Dominic Lawson criticises the labelling of the climate conference in Baku as the “COP of peace” (“A day of fast cars and genocidal maniacs”, comment, Sep 15) yet omits to mention that Azerbaijan’s hosting is a direct outcome of a peace process with neighbouring Armenia, which had occupied a fifth of my country for 30 years. As a gesture of goodwill, Armenia withdrew its candidacy to host Cop to support Azerbaijan’s bid, while Azerbaijan supported Armenia’s candidature for the Eastern European States COP bureau.

The leaders of both nations recently confirmed that most terms of a long-elusive peace deal have now been agreed.

Instead, Lawson advocates the release of Armenian warlords who attempted to replicate a pattern of illegal ethnic separatism in Garabagh — a region recognised internationally as Azerbaijani territory. The Armenian government now recognises that Garabagh is the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, in line with international law".

Elin Suleymanov

Azerbaijan’s ambassador to the UK