Czech Foreign Minister not intended to apologize to President Ilham Aliyev for calling him dictator
“Czech media write a lot about the scandal about the statement of the Foreign Minister of the country, Karel Schwarzenberg, who called the ruling regime in Azerbaijan “dictatorship.” According to some reports, the authorities of Azerbaijan sent Schwarzenberg a message that he should apologize for such a statement; otherwise it will not be invited to Baku,” the Azerbaijani news agency Turan writes.
As the agency notes, the scandal started on March 4 after a speech of Schwarzenberg given in Prague at the ceremony of awarding the Azerbaijani human rights lawyer, Intigam Aliyev. The Minister said that the West should not behave like an ostrich and hide head in the sand against the human rights violations in Azerbaijan.
"I will not apologize for the truth," newspaper of Prague Pravo quoted the Minister.
Schwarzenberg was to visit Baku in April, but he was not invited there. However, he visited Yerevan, as Turan writes.