Azerbaijan leader accuses PACE, European Parliament of ‘Islamophobia’

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has accused the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament of "Islamophobia."

Such an insulting reaction has followed the removal of the powers of the Azerbaijani delegation to the PACE and a resolution by the European Parliament.

In Aliyev's address to the participants of the international conference, themed “Embracing Diversity: Tackling Islamophobia in 2024,” being held in Baku, it is noted that, "Today, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have become platforms that promote Islamophobia and pursue policies based on this ideology."

Also, noted that, "The present negative trend is also evident in the operations of some global media entities."

At the same time, Aliyev accused Armenia of “Destruction of Azerbaijan’s Islamic historical and cultural heritage in Armenia.”

"Azerbaijan has raised this matter with UNESCO, calling for a technical mission to be sent to that country for assessing the conditions of our cultural and religious sites subjected to destruction in Armenia for years. Unfortunately, to this day, UNESCO is yet to respond to our request," the aforesaid address added.

Azerbaijan makes such baseless accusations on a regular basis, as well as no less baseless demands against Iranian cultural monuments that are protected at the state level in Armenia.