Azerbaijan accuses US State Department of interfering in its internal affairs

The recent statement by the US State Department is interference in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, Foreign Ministry spokesman of the republic, Hikmet Hajiyev, said.

"The rule of law, protection of fundamental freedoms and independence of the judiciary is fully ensured in Azerbaijan. No one is prosecuted in Azerbaijan for political views or activities. Azerbaijan fulfills its international commitments. Rasul Jafarov was prosecuted for tax evasion, embezzlement and his other illegal actions. All are equal before the law, and activities of human rights defenders do not exempt them from liability. The US State Department’s statement that runs contrary to the rule of law is aimed at interference in the domestic affairs of Azerbaijan," APA cited him as saying. 

Hajiyev noted that the US should first require from Armenia the fulfillment of its international commitments and withdrawal of its troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.

"As a continuation of its aggressive policy, Armenia holds provocative military exercises on the occupied Azerbaijani territories, and the US does not react to it. It would better if the US paid attention to the restoration of the rights of over one million Azerbaijani refugees and internally displaced persons, which is a result of Armenian occupation," he stressed.