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Ukrainian embassy to Azerbaijan considered the article published on March 28 by Irina Mikhaylenko on Azerbaijani news portal Haqqin.az as an attempt of libel.

Note that in Mikkaylenko’s article entitled “Whose interests the Ukrainian embassy to Azerbaijan represents?” it is reported that the embassy refused to comment on words of the most influential person of Ukraine oligarch Rinat Akhmetov who filed charges against the portal Haqqin.az.

In the letter of Ukrainian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Aleksandr Mishenko it is noted that the assessment of the legality or illegality of the actions of the individuals is not within the competence of the embassy. There are the law enforcing bodies and judiciary authorities for this kind of affairs.

“The embassy told about this to the representatives of Internet portal Haqqin.az in a phone conversation. In response we received a warning that if the embassy doesn’t stand up for Haqqin.az and refuses to condemn Akhmetov’s actions, the publications of negative character about the ambassador and the embassy of Ukraine to Azerbaijan will be released. This is an attempt to exert pressure on the embassy of Ukraine. It is unacceptable. Primarily about this the embassy told the representatives of the Internet-portal,” the letter of the embassy reads.

However, as the ambassador noted, in this situation, the portal Haqqin.az went on wrong direction and created an artificial scandal.

In regard to this the ambassador said that the Ukrainian embassy to Azerbaijan in its efforts to protect national interests of Ukraine under any circumstances won’t be a tool for manipulation neither by individual citizens of Ukraine nor by any media.

“In the context of the information mentioned in the aforementioned article about my appointment as an ambassador by former president of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovich, I want to emphasize that apparently the author of the article is not familiar with the specifics of diplomatic service and procedure of appointing heads of diplomatic missions, that is why I’ll clarify that in accordance with Ukrainian legislation all Ukrainian ambassadors are appointed by Ukrainian president,” the letter reads.

Note that the lawyers of the Ukrainian oligarch, the main shareholder of the largest financial and industrial group System Capital Management Rinat Akhmetov, required to remove from the database of Azerbaijani news portal Haqqin.az an analytical article entitled “Putin’s ambitions or where else Russia will organize “new Crimea”?”. In this article Akhmetov was subject of criticism.