Spokesperson of Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Leyla Abdullayeva responded to CNN sports correspondent’s question on the non-participation of Arsenal FC midfielder player in the UEFA Europe League final game to be held in Baku and position of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on that regard.

Leyla Abdullayeva reminded that the relevant Azerbaijani authorities and Azerbaijan Football Association provided UEFA with full security guarantee for all players and all fans to travel to Baku for the UEFA Europe League final game on May 29 and as the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry she reiterated that sports and politics are separate. She emphasized that the statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry on that regard testifies to attempts of Armenia to turn sport into an instrument of politics due to its internal political problems. She called absurd the racism accusations of Armenia, a mono-ethnic country that has conducted ethnic cleansing in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, adding that the tolerance and multiculturalism environment in Azerbaijan is well known throughout the world.

The spokesperson states that the comment of the Armenian Foreign Ministry is just another attempt to negatively impact the negotiations over the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement or even an effort to use any chance for postponement of substantial talks on the resolution of the conflict.

azertag.az