The European Union’s South Caucasus envoy, Toivo Klaar, said “threats against Armenia” in the Azerbaijani press are “unacceptable.”
“Threats against Armenia in Azerbaijani media channels are unacceptable,” Klaar said on Monday in a post on the platform X, formerly Twitter.
“Genuine negotiations on border delimitation are needed and all territorial disputes must be settled peacefully and as part of an agreed process,” he added.
Official Baku was quick to reject Klaar’s statement, with the Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Aykhan Hajizade, saying that the EU envoy is ignoring what was described as calls in the Armenian media for continued “occupation” of Azerbaijan. Hajizade also claimed that Armenian media outlets instead are deploring “the legitimate discourse about the return of Azerbaijani villages.”
The Azerbaijani spokesperson also repeated Baku’s demands for unconditional Armenian “withdrawal, claiming that they are “not the subject of a territorial dispute.”
Armenia’s Ambassador to the European Union, Tigran Balayan, directly responded to Klaar and accused Azerbaijan of preparing to attack Armenia.
“Nothing can be broadcasted in Azerbaijan without approval by the President of Azerbaijan, who doesn’t take seriously warnings not supported by actions,” Balayan said in response to Klaar’s post.
“The [Azerbaijani president] Aliyev regime is gearing up for new aggression against Armenia, as he faced no consequences for last ones. We believe in EU’s ability to stop Aliyev via unequivocal support to Armenia,” Balayan added.
