Truth about British MP's false accusations aganist Azerbaijan

By Azernews

By Ayya Lmahamad

On March 1, during a debate in the British Parliament about the situation in Ukraine, Labour Party representative Margaret Hodge asked Foreign Secretary Elizabeth Truss an unexpected question: "Will sanctions be imposed against representatives of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan who support Putin?"

Azerbaijan’s position

First and foremost, the question was completely irrelevant because Azerbaijan, as a state that advocates peaceful conflict resolution, has always pursued a policy of good neighborliness and friendship, not one directed against third countries. Azerbaijan is also a member and chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement.

Official Baku does not support Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, as Hodge portrays it, and it also opposes Western sanctions against Russia. In the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Azerbaijan has clearly demonstrated its neutrality.

Second, the question is illogical because, following the escalation of tensions and the outbreak of hostilities, Azerbaijan sent €5 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine. The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has announced that it will provide free fuel to ambulances in Ukraine.

Concerned about recent events, representatives of the Ukrainian diaspora and Azerbaijani citizens gathered outside the Ukrainian embassy in Baku on February 27 to express their support.

President Ilham Aliyev also had telephone conversations with both Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin.

At the same time, it appears that Margaret Hodge is pretending to be unaware that Ukraine officially refers to Azerbaijan as a strategic ally, and that she has not read the Ukrainian president's message on his official Twitter page, in which he expresses gratitude to the Azerbaijani president for his assistance and efforts.

“I continue negotiations with international partners. Had a conversation with the Azerbaijani president. We appreciate the humanitarian aid and medicines provided. Thank you for your support to Ukraine,” Zelensky's post read.

“According to the results of my conversation with the Azerbaijani president, all SOCAR gas stations in Ukraine have been instructed to provide fuel for ambulances and SES free of charge. At night we are waiting for a plane with medications from Azerbaijan,” another post said.

Armenia’s position

It is worth noting that a completely different country, Armenia, has always been on Russia's side.

Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Eurasian Customs Union, and always votes in unison with the Russian delegation.

Armenia was recently the only country to officially support Russia in its military conflict with Ukraine. For a long time, there was no Armenian ambassador in Kyiv and no Ukrainian ambassador in Yerevan. Furthermore, the Armenian media launched an openly anti-Ukrainian campaign.

Armenian political scientists, politicians, and journalists openly discuss the benefits of recognizing the so-called "Lugansk People's Republic" and "Donetsk People's Republic" as "revenge" for the 44-day war defeat. They openly write about how Ukraine should be divided.

However, Margaret Hodge does not appear to regard it as an enemy attitude toward Ukraine.

Margaret Hodge

Margaret Hodge, a Labour Party representative, began making anti-Azerbaijan statements in 2017. Hodge's anti-Azerbaijan statements were widely circulated in the Armenian press. It is worth noting that in Britain, it was the Labour Party that most frequently raised the issue of so-called genocide recognition.

According to some journalistic surveys, Hodge's wealth is estimated at about $100 million, which she received from the sale of her family's industrial plants Stemcor in Belarus to China. Margaret Hodge's brother owned this company until 2020.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the MP's surname was also implicated in the Stemcor tax fraud scandal in 2012.

The foregoing provides grounds to conclude that the British MP is absurdly accusing Azerbaijan.

However, Azerbaijan is a reliable partner for Britain; both countries are successfully developing bilateral relations and will continue to do so in all areas. Furthermore, Azerbaijan has unequivocally demonstrated its adherence to international legal norms.