Azerbaijan, as a country hosting the UEFA Europa League final, has guaranteed the safety of all players including Arsenal's Henrikh Mkhitaryan, but he refused to come to Baku, head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev said in an interview with the leading Italian media in connection with the UEFA Europa League final match in Baku.
The politicization of football is unacceptable, football must be promoted and developed in all UEFA member countries, Hajiyev stressed, adding that this match will be one of the most interesting in the history of UEFA, and that all measures have been taken for the convenience and safety of the fans that came to Baku, Trend reported.
Speaking about the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the head of the Department of Foreign Policy Affairs of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration said that it is wrong to look for a connection between this conflict, the match being held in Baku and the ethnic background of Mkhitaryan.
Informing about the occupation policy of Armenia, Hajiyev stressed that in order to resolve the conflict and ensure peace in the region, Armenian troops should be withdrawn from all occupied Azerbaijani territories, as required by the UN Security Council resolutions.
The final match of the UEFA Europa League will take place today at the Baku Olympic Stadium at 23:00 (GMT +4).
