Russia is our neighbor. We have good neighborly relations with it. And having good relations with all our neighbors is the number one priority not only for Azerbaijan but for every country in the world. But the same applies to Ukraine.

Axar.az reports thatthis was stated by Hikmat Hajiyev, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan and Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration, in an extensive interview with Slovakia’s Hospodárske noviny newspaper.

"You yourself know very well that during the Soviet Union, we lived under the same roof with Russians and Ukrainians. We have long-term interpersonal relationships with both countries. And we continue them after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many Azerbaijanis live either in Russia or in Ukraine. We have many mixed marriages. So it is really a great tragedy what is happening there today. Azerbaijanis literally have their hearts torn when they see tragic images from the ongoing conflict on television or the internet.

At the same time, I must emphasize one more thing - the main cornerstone of our policy is the absolutely inviolable principle of territorial integrity. Our country has suffered greatly in the past from the violation of this principle. Therefore, we unequivocally support the protection of the territorial integrity of other countries. But at the same time, we maintain a distance from interfering in any way in the military confrontation between Russians and Ukrainians.

We keep a safe distance from supplying any military components in this conflict. We provide only humanitarian aid to Ukraine, especially to children who suffer the most in it. We also supply some necessary equipment, such as electric generators. In no way do we participate in military assistance; we are not part of any such actions. And because we belong to the so-called non-aligned countries."