Azerbaijan Rejects Iran's Claims on ECO Summit Communique

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned Iran's Ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, for making "unacceptable" and "hypocritical" claims about the final communique of the 17th Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) Summit. The communique, prepared in advance with OIC member states, was published on the organization's official website and referenced an existing OIC Declaration on the Right of Return of Azerbaijanis Forced and Systematically Displaced from the Territories of Present-Day Armenia. The Azerbaijani government has emphasized that all ECO members, including Iran, had previously agreed to support Azerbaijani rights.

Key Takeaways:

• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan strongly rejected the claims made by Iran's Ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, regarding the final communique of the 17th ECO Summit.
• The communique was prepared in advance with OIC member states and published on the organization's official website.
• Azerbaijan's Head of the MFA's Press Service Department, Aykhan Hajizadeh, stated that Iran had no objections to the communique and that any reservations could only be made in relation to decisions taken as a result of negotiations.
• Hajizadeh emphasized that all ECO members, including Iran, are also members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and had previously agreed to support Azerbaijani rights.
• Hajizadeh noted that the Khankendi Communique only referenced the existing OIC Declaration and criticized Ambassador Sobhani's remarks as lacking a diplomatic basis.

Statistics:

• The 17th ECO Summit was held in Khankendi.
• The Khankendi Communique was published on the ECO's official website.
• The OIC Council of Ministers adopted a resolution on the Right of Return of Azerbaijanis Forced and Systematically Displaced from the Territories of Present-Day Armenia on June 21-22.

Sources:

• Azernews
• Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan