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Azerbaijan’s president says sanctions are counter-productive form of pressure

MOSCOW, May 2. /TASS/. Azerbaijan’s President Ilkham Aliyev is against the use of sanctions as a means of pressure against countries.

"We are against this form of international relations," Aliyev told the Rossiya-24 television news channel in an interview.

"We have always been for a dialogue and for addressing all complex issues at the negotiating table and in a climate of trust. True, to a certain degree trust between Russia and the West has been lost, but I believe that efforts should be exerted to restore it," Aliyev said, adding that risks and challenges in the modern world were many. "There are extremism, radicalism, terrorism, and the re-emergence of Nazim, which we are witnesses to in Europe. These issues must be addressed jointly," he said with certainty.

He recalled that when the question of sanctions against Russia was discussed at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Azerbaijan’s delegation unanimously opposed them.

"That was one more telling sign. I believe that the Russian public should know that. Such moments are moments of truth, when a friendly hand is extended," Aliyev said, adding that the anti-Russian sanctions caused no significant effect on the economy of Azerbaijan.

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