Hikmet Hajiyev: Azerbaijan manifested itself with Europe League final held in Baku EXCLUSİVE

The final between Chelsea and Arsenal held in Baku was successful. Our country has a high organizational culture, Azerbaijan duly hosts international events, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev told Report.

According to him, this event once again showed that safety of football fans, foreigners, who visit Azerbaijan, are fully ensured: ‘Every condition had been created for them to watch the match. As President Ilham Aliyev said, unfortunately, some international circles wage information warfare against Azerbaijan. Such campaigns, information attacks intensify especially during the international events in our country. However, Azerbaijan manifested itself with this final’.

Hajiyev noted that high-level organization of the final is also appreciated by UEFA and several relevant structures: ‘Phone call by Armenian leadership to Arsenal’s footballer Henrikh Mkhitaryan shows that Armenia was trying to politicize the football. Armenia concretely aimed to politicize the issue on a reserve player. The football is out of policy, politicization of a sport is unacceptable. Armenian leadership attempted to blame Azerbaijan for racism, discrimination. But Armenia has not right to speak about racism and discrimination. Armenia pursued ethnic cleansing policy against other nations, including Azerbaijanis living in its territory. Armenia is a monoethnic country, and pursued ethnic cleansing policy in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan’.