“The burning of our National Flag by an officially accredited person at the opening of the European Weightlifting Championship in Armenia on April 14 is a direct act of barbarism. With such actions, it is clear that Armenia is still far from civilization. It is too soon for this country to host any international event. Therefore, international organizations should take this into account. Azerbaijan has held innumerable and more prestigious sports competitions in an exemplary manner, without any unpleasant incident. The sports community of the world has always acknowledged this.”
Sattar Mohbaliyev, chairman of the Azerbaijan Trade Unions Confederation (ATUC), member of the Milli Majlis, expressed these views to the mass media.
According to him, Azerbaijan invited this country for peace for many years, but they did not give up their aggressor and treacherous qualities, they exceeded their limits more and more: “Even today, they are not in the culture of negotiating and coming to peace. Also, ethnic hatred, racism, Azerbaijanophobia are rampant in Armenian society. Their brains are completely poisoned. It was for this reason that the participants shamelessly applauded the one who burned our flag the other day. They even present him as a hero in the Armenian segment of social networks. The most striking aspect of the incident is that the Prime Minister of Armenia and other officials are participating in the opening ceremony, and this incident is being committed in front of them. Cases like this reveal their shallow nature.”
The chairman of ATUC added that the refusal of Azerbaijani athletes to participate in the competition was a completely correct decision, because it was poorly organized and there was no guarantee of safety.