Aykhan Hajizada: Azerbaijan expects France to apologize for provocation at Olympic opening

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada has commented on the an apology letter issued by the International Olympic Committee on August 2 in response to the official letter of protest sent by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Olympic Committee concerning the biased remarks made by France 2 TV channel against Azerbaijan at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris on July 26.

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry told Report that Aykhan Hajizada said:

"The International Olympic Committee made remarks about Azerbaijan's official letter of protest, apologized to our country for the unacceptable comments made by the "France2" TV channel, and emphasized that these comments are incompatible with the principles and values that the International Olympic Committee seeks to promote through sports and Olympic Games," Hajizada said.

"We believe that the remarks made on France's official state channel, which serve to politicize the Olympic Games, are an integral element of the smear campaign against Azerbaijan and are purposely allowed to be broadcast," he noted.
The diplomat said Azerbaijan expects that France will also apologize for the fact that this country, the host of the Olympic Games, is the principal accountable party, and demand that similar actions against Azerbaijan not be repeated in the future.