Hikmat Hajiyev criticizes US parliamentarians for their pro-Armenian position

Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev has sharply criticized Congressman Frank Pallone and Senator Ed Markey, who visited Baku, for their strong pro-Armenian position, Report informs.

"Frank Pallone and Senator Ed Markey upon returning to the US after their visit to Baku, are once again presenting the outcomes in a way that aligns with what the Armenian lobby wants to hear.

(I)

1. I met with Senator Ed Markey upon his request.

2. reminded him that after the Khojaly genocide against Azerbaijani people by Armenia, the U.S. Congress unjustly adopted the 907 Amendment.

3. pointed out that during the 30 years of Armenia’s military occupation and ethnic cleansing of over one million Azerbaijanis, neither he nor his colleagues remembered justice. On the contrary, continued to support Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan.

4. emphasized that the investigations into the crimes of separatist war criminals in Azerbaijan, including the illegal arms dealer and oligarch Ruben Vardanyan, who supported separatism in Ukraine (and blacklisted) and engaged in money laundering, will be brought to a logical conclusion, and they will face justice.

5. stated that ethnic Armenian residents could only apply for citizenship on an individual basis, and their return would be considered under the laws of our country if citizenship is granted. However, this can only happen reciprocally and in parallel with the recognition of the right of return for the indigenous Azerbaijani population expelled from Armenia.

6. The Armenian lobby in the US continues to create a politically toxic environment. They are part of the problem. And they need reason d’etre for fundraising.

7. recommended that members of the House of Representatives and Senate refrain from becoming tools of the Armenian lobby. We are moving step by step closer to peace with Armenia in the region. However, some US lawmakers, incited by the Armenian lobby, hinder regional peace, refuse to acknowledge the reality on the ground, and attempt to drag us back to the past.

(II).

As for Pallone, it seems he might have suffered psychological and mental distress gazing out of his hotel window at the nearby Trophy Park, where the destroyed equipment of the invading army of Armenia is displayed, and the Victory Park, inaugurated by President Ilham Aliyev on November 8.

Perhaps it was divine retribution for the injustices he has supported against the Azerbaijani people over the years. President Ilham Aliyev, unlike with other Congress members, did not meet with Pallone. Pallone does not deserve such an audience. I also privileged to participate at the meeting. It was conducted in a very constructive spirit. None of the issues Pallone reports to the Armenian lobby were raised during the meeting. Time and again, Pallone is lying again. His attempt to stage a show in Azerbaijan failed. Citizens exercised their right to peaceful assembly, including internally displaced persons, families of martyrs, and civil society representatives, holding peaceful protest. Journalists asked him how much money he received from the Armenian lobby. It caused for panic of Pallone. That is the end of the real story.

“People never lie so much as after a hunt, during a war, or before an election”," Hajiyev wrote.