Speaker: Azerbaijan's territorial integrity irritates some circles in Europe

The first plenary meeting of the spring session of Milli Majlis has started. At the session, Milli Majlis Speaker Sahiba Gafarova said that certain forces in Europe cannot accept the restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity, Azernews reports.

Speaking at the first plenary meeting of the spring session of the Parliament on February 1, the Speaker said that the main problem is that some people do not accept the new reality in the South Caucasus.

S. Gafarova reminded that at the meeting of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament held on January 18, biased and completely unacceptable views on Azerbaijan were expressed.

"The judgements of our Dutch colleagues, distorting the realities in the South Caucasus, show that there is still an objective attitude towards our country."

The Speaker emphasised that double standards are one of the main principles of foreign policy in the Netherlands, as well as in many other European countries.

"Another sad fact is that the Dutch Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot, answering the questions of the deputies, indirectly stated that he agrees with the absurd accusations. The Minister also noted that the European Union is ready to impose sanctions against Azerbaijan," she said.

The unfounded judgements of our Dutch colleagues that Azerbaijan allegedly has territorial claims towards Armenia and is preparing for a new war are another example of prejudice against our country. Mr. President has repeatedly stated that the war is over and that we are set for a new development strategy after the restoration of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

At the same time, the billions of funds invested in the territories liberated from occupation, as well as in the regions bordering Armenia, are the main factor indicating that we are focused precisely on peace," the Parliament Speaker added.

The head of the legislative body said that this is well-known all over the world, including in the Netherlands.

S. Gafarova said that Azerbaijan is the author of the peace agenda put forward after the war:

"We are the leading country in the South Caucasus, which promotes prosperity based on cooperation and coexistence. And the groundlessness of accusations of ethnic cleansing against Azerbaijan is confirmed by the reports of the UN mission that visited Garabagh. If our Dutch colleagues consider the return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia to their places of residence as territorial claims, this is an issue that should be assessed through the prism of human rights and freedoms."

It should be noted that the Azerbaijani delegation stopped cooperating with PACE following recent developments that led to deteriorating relations.