Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has launched a fresh attack on former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, accusing him of promoting what he described as an “anti Azerbaijani” agenda and alleging he maintained ties with figures critical of Azerbaijan.
Speaking on Sunday, Aliyev claimed Borrell had connections with former International Court of Justice judge Luis Moreno Ocampo and was financially backed by Armenian-Russian businessman Samvel Karapetyan, who is currently under house arrest in Armenia. Aliyev did not provide evidence to support either allegation.
Ocampo, the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has been one of the most prominent international legal advocates for Artsakh. In 2023, he concluded that Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor constituted genocide against the Armenians of Artsakh under the UN Genocide Convention. Borrell was also among the European Union’s strongest critics of Azerbaijan, repeatedly condemning the blockade, Azerbaijan’s September 2023 military offensive against Artsakh, and calling for the release of Armenian hostages held in Baku.
“It turned out that Josep Borrell maintained ties with certain corrupt individuals, including former International Court of Justice judge Mr. Ocampo. It also emerged that he was financed by a Russian Armenian oligarch,” Aliyev claimed.
Aliyev went on to allege that “a large anti Azerbaijani group” had been operating within the European Commission before adding that relations between Baku and Brussels have since begun to improve.
“There was a large anti Azerbaijani group operating within the European Commission, and we hope that Mr. Borrell has left politics for good. Since then, our relations have begun to improve. In particular, we recognized the urgent need for a mutual reset of these relations, and we supported that initiative,” he said.
