Baku Warns India to ‘Carefully Approach’ Armenia-Azerbaijan Relations
Official Baku sent a warning to India on that country’s approach to Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, as backlash against Azerbaijan from India and the Indian population intensifies over the unrest on the Pakistani border.
Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister Yalchin Rafiyev advised India to “carefully approach” Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, during a speech at a conference being held in the Azerbaijani parliament on Wednesday.
India tacitly has accused Azerbaijan—and Turkey—of siding with Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to Pakistan’s attack in the Indian-controlled Kashmir Province last month.
“In the India-Pakistan issue, Azerbaijan’s position is also based on international law. Especially in Azerbaijan-Armenia relations, which are going through a fragile period, India and other third parties should carefully approach the issue. Here, we expect from all states, including India, that no concrete steps be taken that could harm this process,” Rafiyev said.
Soon after the launch of Operation Sindoor, Baku condemned New Delhi’s military action against Islamabad to destroy terrorist establishments in Pakistan.
Baku has shown solidarity with the people of Pakistan, even referring to terrorists as innocent victims, according to historian and advocate at the Indian Supreme Court, Arunansh B. Goswami and her colleague, Sumit Kaushik, a public policy advocate.
“I would like to begin by recalling what caused this escalation. A terrorist attack was carried out, and the Republic of Armenia responded promptly, by condemning the act of terrorism, expressing condolences to the families of the victims and showing solidarity with their relatives,” Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said immediately following the Pakistani attack.
“I believe that no civilized country can ever condone or welcome terrorism, the latter can only be condemned. And I believe we must also recognize the country’s right to defend itself against terrorism. To be honest, this is the perspective through which we view this issue, this is how we perceive it, and this is our position,” Mirzoyan added.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in 2020 accused Pakistani Special Forces of collaborating with the Azerbaijani military.
According to media reports, Indian travelers are cancelling trips to Turkey and Azerbaijan en masse after both countries publicly supported Pakistan, in a show of national unity.
“Bookings for Azerbaijan and Turkey have decreased by 60 percent, while cancellations have surged by 250 percent,” said MakeMyTrip, a travel agency, in a statement on Wednesday.
“Out of deep respect for our armed forces, we strongly discourage non-essential travel to Azerbaijan and Turkey. All promotions and offers for these destinations have been discontinued,” the travel booking site said, despite continuing to feature Turkey and Azerbaijan as potential destinations.
