[Armenian News note: the below is translated from the Russian edition of Turan]
Azerbaijan has brushed aside allegations that Arsenal's Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be safe in Baku, Turan news agency reported on 22 May.
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Leyla Abdullayeva said Yerevan is using the Armenian athlete "for its provocative purposes".
Her statement came in response to a comment by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, which said that Mkhitaryan is not going to Baku to play in the Europa League final on 29 May because Azerbaijan had not provided safety guarantees.
"Azerbaijan has provided guarantees that it would ensure the complete safety of all players who will take part in the Europa League final in Baku on 29 May, including Arsenal's Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and also safety of all fans," Abdullayeva was quoted as saying.
She added that "Azerbaijan does not identify sport with politics" and that athletes of Armenian descent had earlier attended sporting events in Baku.
"The statement by the Armenian Foreign Ministry that there are factors preventing the Arsenal player of Armenian ethnicity to come to Baku is an attempt to turn the sport into a political tool due to internal political issues. It is regretful that the Armenian Foreign Ministry is taking part in this game," she said.
She went onto say that "this move has showed that Armenia is not willing to prepare its nation for peace" and that Yerevan is using the Armenian athlete "for its provocative purposes".
"It is incredible and absurd that Armenia, a monoethnic country which implemented ethnic cleansing on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, is accusing Azerbaijan of racism. The entire world is well aware that different religious and ethnic groups co-exist in peace and tolerance in Azerbaijan" Abdullayeva said.
Because of a longstanding conflict with Armenia over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijan usually does not allow foreign nationals of Armenian descent to enter the country. Azerbaijan and Armenia do not have diplomatic relations.