BAKU—Great Britain’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan on Wednesday drew comparisons between Nagorno-Karabakh and the movement by Scotland to secede from the United Kingdom, saying that the Karabakh status should be determined through a referendum, reported the Azeri press.
During a presentation to students at Khazari University in Baku, Ambassador Irfan Siddiq said his country opted to put Scotland’s desire to secede from the United Kingdom to a vote rather than resort to military conflict. That referendum is set for later this year.
“What is happening in UK is interesting. Lots of people don’t want to be in the UK. Rather than war, we will have a referendum. Solution for determination of the future status of Nagorno Karabakh has to be some of a referendum,” Siddiq told students.
“This is a logical compromise for determining of future status. Some people want to be in Azerbaijan, some don’t. Same focus. Some want to be in the UK, some don’t. We will see what happens,” explained Siddiq.
The press in Azerbaijan and other circles were quick to criticize the UK diplomat.
The UK Embassy in Baku, through its Facebook page, issued a clarification Thursday, however, it did not reject the importance of the self-determination principle in the conflict resolution process.
The embassy, which called the media reports “inaccurate” said, “we would like to clarify that Ambassador Irfan Siddiq during his meeting with students at the Azerbaijan’s Khazar University on March 3 stressed the need for respect for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and the withdrawal of Armenia from occupied territories.”
“While discussing the planned referendum on independence in Scotland later this year, he noted the importance of the principle of self-determination adding that the future status of Karabakh should also be determined through an agreed peaceful mechanism that reflects the will of all the people concerned,” explained the embassy’s Facebook post.
Special election for what? The election was already conducted; the Azeris boycotted and they exempted themselves in the right to have a say in anything in the region. The decision has already been made: Karabagh wanted to, and still wants to be apart of Armenia.
I could not understand…to add something …
it seems the Azeri Ambassador needs education…!!!
Perhaps this Pakistani guy should look no further than to his own back yard before meddling in affairs he has no connection to other than by religion.
Pakistan is the only country in the world that that doesn’t recognize Armenia. I wonder why Armenia recognizes Pakistan?? Hellooo, wake up oligarchs.
lol at them backtracking so quickly and calling for “the withdrawal of Armenia from occupied territories.” This is the face of everyone’s favorite “just and fair” West.
This newly crowned Axeri politician should have known better, that Artsakh, already voted civilized way in 1988 to be out of Axerbaijani orbit, before the fall of USSR, but they went, for orgy killing of Artsakhi Armenians!
I wonder sometimes, how this newly “civilized Tatar-turks” comparing themselves with civilized world!
I hope he made it clear that the referendum was to be conducted in Artsakh, not elsewhere. And, by the way, they had conducted one there (was it December 1991?). Was he aware of that?
Would the same work for Nakhijevan? Perhaps the displaced Armenians and their descendants can vote on such a referendum.
Another stupid an despreate move by azeri so called poltician.stop thinking like your four leged ancctores. karabakh has been Armina and will be stayed Armenia for good.
Why are all of you attacking the ambassador? He is saying NK should have the right to self-determination through a referendum. That is why the Azeri press attacked him. These ignorant and racist comments are not helpful to our cause.