Instead of apologizing to Azerbaijan and retracting its fake news article, Politico continues to spread disinformation to mislead the European and global public, Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, said in a post on X, according to Report.
He said Politico's article contains reference to Azerbaijani media that official data shows that "Azerbaijan imported 141.6 million cubic meters of gas from Russia this year."
"The fact you referred to is a swap operation, not an import. Such seasonal exchanges occur between neighboring states and this is normal. I regret that the article fails to differentiate between swap and import," Hikmat Hajiyev said.
Referring to the statement by Tim McPhie, the European Commission’s spokesperson on energy affairs, he noted that the Southern Gas Corridor, which supplies EU markets, is only connected to Azerbaijani gas fields, not to the broader Azerbaijani natural gas system.
"The EU official’s statement is entirely accurate, and we are fully aligned with that. Therefore, Azerbaijan did not import any gas from Russia in 2024. Period!" he said.
"Politico is unsuccessfully searching for a black cat in a dark room while knowing that the cat is not there. There is a fitting Azerbaijani proverb: 'A liar has to be chased to the end,'" Hikmat Hajiyev said.