The European Weightlifting Championships were held in Armenia yesterday. The Azerbaijani flag was burned at the opening ceremony of the championship.
Upon the incident, a statement came from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan. "We strongly condemn this action, which is the embodiment of ethnic hatred towards Azerbaijan in Armenia. The government of Armenia, as the organizer of the incident, should have prevented such incidents in time and taken appropriate security measures. Despite the fact that the perpetrator was initially caught (by the hall staff), his release with applause was serious. It is a matter of concern. The Armenian side should bring the perpetrator of this hate crime to justice immediately."
A call was made to take necessary criminal actions against the organizers.
After the attack on the Azerbaijani flag, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the National Olympic Committee made a joint statement.
In the statement, which stated that the flag was burned by an accredited person at the opening ceremony, "The fact that such a barbaric act was carried out at the ceremony attended by the Prime Minister of Armenia (Nikol Pashinyan), that it was approved by the Armenian public and that the perpetrator of this act was declared a hero is a clear manifestation of ethnic hatred, racism, xenophobia and Azerbaijani enmity. This is also completely at odds with the main purpose and principles of sport, which promotes peace and mutual understanding between countries."
In the statement, it was emphasized that it is impossible for Azerbaijani athletes to participate in the competitions due to psychological pressures in Armenia, where such an atmosphere of hatred prevails and security cannot be provided.
The statement said, "Taking into account all these, it was decided to send the Azerbaijani athletes back to their homeland. Armenia should ensure their safe return."
Calling on the international community and international sports institutions to "strongly condemn the barbaric act", they said, "We call on the European Weightlifting Federation to impose sanctions on Armenia. We believe that this incident shows that Armenia cannot organize international sports competitions and ensure the safety of the athletes."
(Ihlas News Agency)