The daughter of Azerbaijan’s president has been slated online after she took ridiculous seflies while her father spoke to the UN about genocide.
President Ilham Aliyev was delivering a major speech to world leaders in New York, in which he solemnly discussed the bloody Nagorno-Karabakh War of 1992.
But his 33-year-old daughter Leyla Aliyeva – who was sat in the audience – seemed more concerned with pulling absurd faces as she pointed her smartphone at herself.
While her father talked of savage conflicts with neighbouring state Armenia, Leyla was filmed pulling shocked and surprised faces for her selfies.
While her father talked of savage conflicts with neighbouring state Armenia, Leyla was filmed pulling shocked and surprised faces for her selfies
To add to the president’s embarrassment, her efforts were live-streamed all around the world from the General Assembly
As well as her global TV audience, Leyla’s performance has been seen – and mocked – by tens of thousands of watchers on social media
To add to the president’s embarrassment, her efforts were live-streamed all around the world from the General Assembly.
Leyla is at first seen listening intently to her father’s speech as she sits beside her 53-year-old mother Mehriban in the hall.
Then – not even two minutes into her father’s delivery – she starts turning her smartphone on herself.
As well as her global TV audience, Leyla’s performance has been seen – and mocked – by tens of thousands of watchers on social media.
According to Azerbaijani news agency APA, the president was making a deadly serious – and controversial – speech about a 1992 war with Armenia.
He said: ‘As a result of Armenian aggression, more than one million of Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons.’
He also spoke of a particularly bloody moment in the war commonly known as the ‘Khodjaly massacre’, which many people in Azerbaijan deem a genocidal act – though Armenia has strongly contested the claim.
The president said: ‘Armenia committed genocide against Azerbaijanis in Khodjaly.
President Ilham Aliyev was delivering a major speech to world leaders in New York, in which he solemnly discussed the bloody Nagorno-Karabakh War of 1992
‘Armenia committed a war crime, killing 613 peaceful residents, including 106 women and 63 children.’
The contrast between the content of her father’s speech and the silliness of Leyla’s actions did not go unnoticed by social media users.
One – named ‘Mekhanik’ – said: ‘This is simply lack of culture and stupidity of rich kids.
‘That means that her parents raised her that way.’
And another – identified as ‘zhandos’ – added: ‘That’s so shameful for the family.
‘To make faces like that when her father is talking about genocide…’