Nikol Pashinyan, during the panel discussion in which he participated with his Georgian counterpart Irakli Garibashvili, accused the Azerbaijani side of causing the failure of a five-party meeting in Granada, stating that Azerbaijan had withdrawn from a previously agreed meeting.
Leyla Abdullaeva, who attended the discussion as a listener, first addressed the moderator’s biased questions:
“The moderator emphasized concerns about ‘threats’ that Azerbaijan is making in France against Armenia. Let me draw your attention to the fact that these ‘threats’ are completely unfounded. This is because Azerbaijan is still restoring sovereignty over its territories recognized by the international community. We have effectively acquired what legally belongs to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has always repeatedly expressed its interest in peace. Not just declared it, Azerbaijan was the initiator of the normalization process with Armenia immediately after the 2020 war, and, of course, Azerbaijan advocates direct dialogue with Armenia.”
Abdullaeva later responded to Nikol Pashinyan’s accusations: “I think the position of the President of Azerbaijan regarding the meeting in Granada was clearly formulated. The day before the meeting in Granada, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs visited Armenia and announced a decision on arms supplies to Armenia. Was this decision to arm Armenia, to support the revanchist ideology in the country, really aimed at serving peace and normalization in the region? On the other hand, France intended to act as a mediator. Thus, a country that openly sides with another country and openly arms it, then says it is a mediator. On the other hand, the leaders refused to allow the participation of the President of Turkey. These explanations were clearly expressed by Azerbaijan.”
Leyla Abdullaeva’s speech was met with applause from the audience in the hall. Nikol Pashinyan took the microphone, but instead of responding to the Azerbaijani ambassador, he did not address the arguments she raised and, changing the subject, said that Azerbaijan refers to Armenia as Western Azerbaijan.