Azerbaijani MFA condemns burning of Azerbaijani flag in Armenia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) commented on the burning of the Azerbaijani flag during the European Weightlifting Championship in Armenia.

Report informs, citing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that the statement reads:

"On April 14, the Azerbaijani flag was set on fire at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship held in Yerevan, Armenia.

"We strongly condemn this act, which is the embodiment of ethnic hatred against Azerbaijan in Armenia.

"The government of Armenia, as the party organizing the event, should have prevented such incidents in time and taken appropriate security measures. Although the perpetrator was initially detained, his subsequent release with lavish applause is a matter of serious concern. The Armenian side should immediately bring to justice the person who committed this hate crime.

"We strongly condemn this action, which is a gross violation of the rules of conduct adopted by the International Weightlifting Federation, the International Olympic Committee, and other relevant international organizations for sports competitions, and we call for appropriate punitive measures to be taken against the organizers within the framework of the rules."