At the summit of the European Political Community in Yerevan, a sharp public dispute took place between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Euronews reports .
Aliyev accused the European Parliament of allegedly spreading lies and disinformation about Azerbaijan and criticizing it too harshly. He called this position “a kind of obsession” with his country and stated that the Azerbaijani parliament is suspending cooperation with the European Parliament.
He also claimed that EU deputies were allegedly hindering the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which was launched with US mediation after the completion of the conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh.
In response, Roberta Metsola defended the European Parliament. She emphasized that it is a democratic institution where decisions are made by voting, and that criticism from some countries will not change its operating principles.
Reportedly, Aliyev’s speech was not planned in advance, so Metsola demanded the floor to respond to the accusations.
The European Parliament had previously adopted resolutions criticizing the situation in Azerbaijan, including regarding Nagorno-Karabakh and the rights of the Armenian population after the conflict.
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