Ambassador of Ukraine to Azerbaijan: “When I go somewhere to make speech, they call me and ask me not to criticize Russia”
Aleksadr Mishchenko, the Ambassador of Ukraine to Azerbaijan, accused Azerbaijan of betrayal, while delivering his speech at the International press-center of the international information agency “Russia Today,” where the presentation of the political scientist Elhan Shahinoglu’s essay “From Maydan to Maydan” was held, the Azerbaijani news portal “Haqqin.az” reports.
“What do I do? Go out and say that they censor me in Baku, while claiming that there is no censorship in the country? When I go somewhere to make a speech, they immediately call me and ask me not to criticise Russia. But what should an ambassador say, when his country has suffered a military aggression from Russia?” the Ambassador declared.
According to the article, in his speech Mishchenko drew the audience’s attention to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s occupation policy. The Ambassador also talked about the recent voting in PACE, where the Russian delegation was deprived of his right to vote. He didn’t conceal his disappointment with the position taken by the Azerbaijani delegation to support Russia.
“Azerbaijan always complains of double standards. The justice is on the Azerbaijani side, but what has Ukraine to do with that? Let’s decide this way: on next PACE session Ukraine vote against Azerbaijan, and then you not support us again. So what’s next? That’s a path to nowhere.” Mishchenko said.
The ambassador noted that he had always called on joining both country’s efforts in the international arena, the article reads.
“I agree that Ukraine has paid little attention to the problems of Azerbaijan. I’m a diplomat and I get that. But let’s take an average Ukrainian who heard on the news that Azerbaijan has supported Russia. They calm me down saying that Azerbaijan will support any resolution regarding the territorial integrity of Ukraine. They tell me tales that a space for discussions should be left; otherwise there’ll be no one to talk to. So, let’s forget about the 7 districts around Karabakh. But we don’t say such a thing, after all,” the ambassador said.
As the article states, the Ambassador Mishchenko meanwhile noted that he understood the risks of the official Baku, yet he wondered what will voting in PACE against Azerbaijan give to Azerbaijan.
“Now should I need to convince Kiev that there were reasons for that? Should I tell them everything I was told in Baku? Help Ukraine with one tent at least! We don’t need billions. Georgia helps, Lithuania helps…,” said the Ambassador in despair.