Sarkisian during a joint press conference with the visiting Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski

YEREVAN—President Serzh Sarkisian on Thursday slammed his Azeri counterpart Ilham Aliyev who on Wednesday continued his racially-motivated anti-Armenian slurs by saying that “something is missing” in the brains of the Armenian people.

At a joint news conference, where Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan called for an apology from Sarkisian for his remarks on Western Armenia, Aliyev chimed in by advancing his anti-Armenian agenda by saying, “I am well informed about [Sarkisian’s] way of thinking. In effect, this demonstrates the aggressive essence of Armenia.”

Aliyev continued his verbal rampage by saying: “But to have territorial claims to Turkey? This simply means that something is missing in the heads of these people,” he added.

In his remarks, Aliyev went on to say that “Azerbaijan will get back its territories, either through peace or military means.”.

In his response, Sarkisian referenced a recent speech he gave at the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe, in which he highlighted Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian policies, an issue that was condemned by the European Parliament as an impediment for stability in the region.

Speaking at a joint news conference with visiting Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski, Sarkisian pointed to the absence of a “proper atmosphere,” saying that “it is not possible to poison your own people everyday and at every level.”

Hitting back at Aliyev comment on Armenians’ lack of sanity, Sarkisian said: “Is that a statement by a normal individual, let alone a leader of a country.”

“A person filled with enmity, cannot make normal decisions,” added Sarkisian.

Aliyev’s boasting in front of Erdogan, however, became muted when the question turned to Turkey’s insistence that Azerbaijan recognize “Northern Cyprus” in the event UN efforts to address the issue fail.

Aliyev said this is not an easy task. “There is also a Nagorno-Karabakh problem. I hope this conflict will be solved one day,” Aliyev said, referring to vulnerability of his country in recognizing Turkish Cyprus due to pressure from the European Union.

While visiting Turkey in 2004, Aliyev said Azerbaijan would consider recognizing “N. Cyprus” if Greek Cypriots rejected a UN plan to reunify the island. Reportedly, the EU pressured Azerbaijan to not recognize the “Northern Cyprus” and threatened to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.