10:13     20 November 2024    

Hikmet Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, has strongly criticized US Congressman Frank Pallone and Senator Ed Markey for demonstrating pro-Armenian positions and mispresenting regional realities following their recent visit to Azerbaijan. “Frank Pallone and Senator Ed Markey, upon returning to the U.S. after their visit to Baku, are once again presenting the outcomes in a way that aligns with what the Armenian lobby wants to hear,” Hajiyev said in a post on X, News.Az reports. During the visit, Hajiyev reportedly met with Senator Markey at his request. He used the meeting to remind Markey of the Khojaly genocide and the adoption of the U.S. Congress's Section 907 amendment, which Hajiyev labeled an unjust decision. He also criticized U.S. lawmakers for turning a blind eye to Armenia's military occupation and ethnic cleansing of over one million Azerbaijanis. “Neither he nor his colleagues remembered justice during Armenia’s 30-year occupation. On the contrary, they supported Armenia’s military aggression,” Hajiyev emphasized. He further mentioned Azerbaijan's commitment to justice in investigating crimes by separatist figures, including Ruben Vardanyan, an individual accused of supporting separatism and engaging in financial crimes. On the subject of the ethnic Armenian population, Hajiyev clarified Azerbaijan's stance: “Ethnic Armenian residents can apply for citizenship individually. Their return will be considered under our country’s laws, but only reciprocally with the recognition of the right of return for expelled Azerbaijanis.” Hajiyev reserved harsher words for Congressman Pallone, suggesting his visit to Azerbaijan was marked by discomfort. Referencing Pallone's apparent reaction to the Trophy Park and Victory Park, Hajiyev remarked: “Perhaps it was divine retribution for the injustices he has supported against the Azerbaijani people.” Unlike other U.S. lawmakers, Pallone did not meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Hajiyev implied this was intentional, stating, “Pallone does not deserve such an audience.” Hajiyev also dismissed Pallone's claims about his visit, alleging the congressman fabricated reports to appease the Armenian lobby. “His attempt to stage a show in Azerbaijan failed. Citizens exercised their right to peaceful assembly, including internally displaced persons and families of martyrs,” Hajiyev noted, adding that journalists even questioned Pallone about alleged financial ties to the Armenian lobby. Concluding his critique, Hajiyev cited a proverb: “People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election.”