BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 13.
The Azerbaijani Parliament’s working group on Azerbaijan-Türkiye
interparliamentary relations has issued a statement.
Trend presents
the full text of the statement:
"The recent biased information campaign against Azerbaijan in
certain Turkish media outlets and on social media platforms, as
well as the voicing of baseless accusations regarding our country
by some Members of Parliament from the ruling Justice and
Development Party (AKP) and by Oktay Saral, Chief Advisor to the
President of Türkiye, have caused serious concern and regret within
the Azerbaijan-Türkiye inter-parliamentary working group.
Relations of friendship, brotherhood, and strategic alliance
exist between Azerbaijan and Türkiye. Azerbaijan is an independent
and sovereign state that determines its domestic and foreign policy
in accordance with its national interests and Constitution. The
'one nation, two states' principle established by the National
Leader Heydar Aliyev specifically envisions the existence of two
independent and sovereign states. It's unacceptable to distort the
essence of this principle or to use it as a basis for interfering
in Azerbaijan's internal affairs and dictating external political
and ideological approaches to Azerbaijani society.
Azerbaijan's secular state structure and freedom of religious
belief are guaranteed by the Constitution. Education policy in our
country is based on secularism, equality, and the principles of
creating equal opportunities for citizens. The rules applied in
educational institutions extend equally to all citizens and are not
directed against any religious affiliation. It’s unacceptable to
politicize these issues within a religious or ideological context
or to level unfounded accusations against Azerbaijan's
constitutional order and education policy.
The use of insulting and slanderous language directed at the
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Victorious
Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, as well as at our people, our
history, and our great figures, is unacceptable and provokes
justified discontent within Azerbaijani society. We regret to note
that the AKP government is taking no steps to prevent such actions.
The tolerant attitude shown toward provocative rallies held in
front of Azerbaijan’s diplomatic missions in Türkiye, and toward
calls for such actions, also raises a number of questions.
We believe that the special nature of Azerbaijan-Türkiye
relations requires adherence to the principles of political
responsibility, mutual respect, and non-interference in each
other's internal affairs. Remarks by individual political figures
shouldn't undermine relations between the two countries.
As the Azerbaijan-Türkiye inter-parliamentary working group, we
expect that the relevant political circles in Türkiye, including
representatives of the ruling political party in parliament, will
approach these sensitive issues responsibly, demonstrate respect
for Azerbaijan's sovereignty and constitutional order, and refrain
from making statements that could negatively affect our
relations."
