Loop round Aliyev regime getting tighter - Armenian diplomat

ArmInfo. The warnings given to Azerbaijan by the European Union (EU), and the developments at the  Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) are the result of Azerbaijan's irresponsible and aggressive behavior. Tigran Balayan, the Armenian Ambassador to Belgium and Head of the RA  Mission to the EU, said this in an interview with the RFE/RL Armenian Service.

"If we look at it from a historical point of view, I can say that the  loop around Azerbaijan or the [Azerbaijani President Ilham] Aliyev  regime is getting tighter. I cannot say how many resources they will  have to resist," the ambassador said.

According to him, statements about supporting the territorial  integrity, sovereignty, and security of Armenia are not new. In this  vein, Balayan recalled that after the start of the last stage of  ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, on September 21, a meeting was held at  the UN Security Council, at which not only Borrell spoke, but also  the foreign ministers of France and Germany, which are the founding  members of the EU, and also Warnings and condemnations were heard,  but this did not stop Aliyev and representatives of his regime from  voicing new territorial claims and organizing ethnic cleansing  together with their allies.

"And Mr Borrell's last statement should be considered in a series of  these statements. Here I would also link the events that took place  in PACE, which are actually a consequence, to put it mildly, of the  irresponsible and aggressive behavior of Azerbaijan," said Ambassador  Balayan, adding that Aliyev is not hiding his bloodthirsty  dictatorial aspirations. The diplomat recalled the presence of many  facts that hired killers, ordered by the Azerbaijani government,  tried to deal with Azerbaijani oppositionists abroad, including in  Europe.

"I think that our European partners are dispelling the illusion that  Aliyev personally and his regime can be brought into a constructive  field through "good will", and Mr. Borrell's statement is proof of  all this, but at the same time it should be noted that In June,  elections will be held in the European Union, a new commission and  parliament will be formed, elections will be held in the U.S. And the  calculation, in my opinion, in Baku is quite clear that they will try  to delay and reduce pressure as much as possible in order to ensure  progress in the negotiation process on a peace agreement with  Armenia," the Armenian diplomat concluded.

Previously, PACE suspended the activities of the Azerbaijani  delegation in the structure for a year for Azerbaijan's failure to  fulfill the obligations undertaken when joining the CE.