Baku:President Ilham Aliyev has voiced his opinion that independent nations should not be subjected to external lectures on their governance and lifestyle choices.

According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, President Aliyev made these remarks during his speech at the 7th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue. He questioned the moral right of any entity to impose its standards on an independent country, stating, "Double standards are also when someone wants to teach you how to live. Though prior to doing so, you should look in the mirror and ask yourself Do you have the moral right to lecture someone, to teach someone, to lecture an independent country on how to live, what to do, and what not to do?"

President Aliyev further emphasized that his administration avoids interfering in the domestic matters of other countries. "We never do that. We concentrate on our own homework, and what is happening in other countries is the business of the peoples of those countries. It is none of our business," he added.