Tokyo, 17 April, /AJMEDIA/
We, Azerbaijanis living abroad mention that, another act of hatred against Azerbaijan was carried out in Armenia just one day after the torture of the Azerbaijani soldier. At the worldwide telecast of the opening ceremony of the European weightlifting championship in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan, a Public TV company employee, a famous designer in this country, and one of the organizers of the championship, burnt the Flag of Azerbaijan.
Notable is that the Prime Minister attended the ceremony.
The atmosphere of hatred in Armenia makes the participation of Azerbaijani athletes impossible in competition. Therefore, the decision has been made to return our athletes home, however, hostile actions such as this threw all hopes away as the safety provided by the Armenian side remains under question.
We condemn the burning of the national flag of Azerbaijan at the opening ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championship and call for the European Weightlifting Federation to impose sanctions on Armenia.
We demand a legal assessment of both actions!
As Azerbaijanis living abroad, we invite the international community to raise their voices and support commonly accepted international rules!
We call on the international sports communities and international sports institutions to reject barbaric actions at the sports ceremonies!
Azerbaijan-Japan Friendship Association
April 16, 2023