Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has described Henrikh Mkhitaryan's absence from the Uefa Europa League final as a big shame.
On Tuesday, Mkhitaryan stated that he will not be travelling to Baku with the rest of his teammates despite the assurance of his safety by Uefa .
Armenia and Azerbaijan currently have no diplomatic relations amid political tensions between both countries over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh mountains.
Aubameyang believes that this problem will motivate the Gunners to win their first European title since 1994 when they battle Chelsea on May 29.
“We know it is a big shame but we respect his decision," Aubameyang was quoted by the Evening Standard .