The mayor of the French town of Altkirch, Jean-Luc Reitzer, has criticized a smear campaign that he said was carried out against Azerbaijan ahead of the first European Games in Baku.
In his article published by Le Trombinoscope magazine, Reitzer said he was disappointed by intolerance the French media demonstrated during the broadcast of the Games.
"We can`t ignore the fact that Azerbaijan has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001, and also the European Union`s Eastern Partnership initiative and the OSCE.”
"A campaign aimed at exerting pressure on Azerbaijan is certainly not a good instrument to punish a country which is a castle of stability in the region,” said Reitzer, describing Azerbaijan as a "predominantly Muslim, secular and religiously tolerant Southern Caucasus country, where men and women enjoy equal rights”.
He applauded the Azerbaijani government`s social reforms, saying the country managed to considerably reduce poverty.
The Altkirch mayor said Azerbaijan "excellently" organized the inaugural European Games. "Azerbaijan once again demonstrated that despite being surrounded by Russia, Iran and Turkey, it is a key regional player.”
(Azartac)
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