"If east Donegal, was occupied by the British or the coloniser, what would we do?" said former Fianna Fáil senator Terry Leyden, who accompanied the Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation during the trip to Dublin at the European conference of speakers of parliaments, XQ informs via Irish Independent.

"They reclaimed their rightful territory, which is their right. If east Donegal, was occupied by the British or the coloniser, what would we do?" he said.

Speaker of the Lower Chamber of the Parliament Sean Ó Fearghaíl asked members of the Dáil last Wednesday "to join with me in extending a very warm Céad Míle Fáilte – one hundred thousand welcomes – to my counterpart from Azerbaijan."

There was then a burst of applause from TDs for Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova and other members of a large Azerbaijan delegation who were sitting in the distinguished visitors’ gallery.

"We respect territorial integrity and are absolutely committed to the protection and promotion of human rights," Mr Ó Fearghaíl said.

"My desire was about finding a peaceful solution to the situation that has arisen," he noted.