BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 9. The claims of Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Armenia Mehdi Sobhani regarding the final document of the 17th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit held in Khankendi are unacceptable, said Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while commenting on the Iranian ambassador’s allegations, Trend reports.
"We would like to bring to the attention of the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran that the Khankendi Communiqué reflecting the results of the Summit was prepared in the format of the Summit Chairman's summary, without the need for coordination with the member states, in accordance with the experience of previous Summits, by prior agreement with the OIC member states, and published on the official website of the organization.
At the same time, the Iranian ambassador's claims about the alleged acceptance of the Khankendi communiqué and that the Iranian side had placed a condition on it do not reflect the real situation. In diplomatic practice, a reservation can be made only with regard to decisions taken as a result of negotiations.
The reality is that all members of the OIC, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, are also members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and all these states, including Iran, have expressed their support for the right of the Western Azerbaijani community to return to their homeland in dignity in the resolution on “The Right of Return of Azerbaijanis Forcibly and Systematically Displaced from the Territories of Present-day Armenia” adopted at the end of the negotiations of the 51st session of the OIC Ministerial Council held in Istanbul on 21-22 June, and in the Istanbul Declaration, which is the final document of the OIC Ministerial Council. They also condemned Armenia's violation of the rights of this community.
The Khankendi communiqué refers to the OIC Declaration adopted by this consensus.
“In this regard, the views expressed by the Iranian ambassador in his interview with Armenpress Armenian Agency are nothing but political manipulations and hypocrisy,” the statement reads.