Aliyev: The further the EU stays away from issues related to opening Armenian-Azerbaijani and Armenian-Turkish borders, the better for everyone

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has called European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s calls for opening borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as between Turkey and Armenia, to facilitate the Middle Corridor, strange.

“Frankly, I was surprised when I learned about the comments made by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the summit of Central Asian leaders in Uzbekistan, when she spoke about the opening of borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as between Armenia and Turkey, to promote the Middle Corridor. It was rather strange because this corridor already exists, and Armenia plays no role in it,” Aliyev stated.

He noted that while he can understand the feelings of European bureaucrats toward Armenia, he urged them not to overlook the fact that it is Azerbaijan and Georgia that have created the entire infrastructure that allows Europe to interact with Central Asia today.

“We only hear calls to open the borders between Turkey and Armenia, and between Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, the further the EU stays away from these issues, the better for everyone,” the Azerbaijani leader declared.

He deemed it unjust that von der Leyen ignored Georgia’s role: “There was no mention of Georgia; it was as if Georgia does not exist, which is unfair.” Aliyev also criticized the European Commission’s attitude toward Georgia’s internal processes, noting that “this is how colonizers behave.”