YEREVAN.- Azerbaijani leadership failed to understand the strength of a modern state is based on love for its people, not hatred towards indigenous nations of the region, Armenian Deputy Minister told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Shavarsh Kocharyan’s comments came in response to Azerbaijani leader’s remarks made during the ceremony dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Yeni Azerbaijan party. Aliyev said Armenia is “a country of no value” , “a colony, an outpost run from abroad”, calling Armenian lobby “the main enemy.”

“With such a racist ideology, with the rampant distortion of history and ridiculous territorial claims, Azerbaijan could have had a chance to preserve its existence only in the early Middle Ages. However, Azerbaijan first appeared on the political map in 1918.

Baku failed to realize that the power of the modern state is based on the love for its people, not a pathological hatred against the indigenous peoples of the region and their cultural and historical heritage,” he emphasized.