Tuesday, May 30 2023 09:42

ArmInfo. Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued the following statement: 

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia draws the  attention of the international community to another warmongering  statement made by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on May 28,  which is aimed at nullifying the efforts of the Republic of Armenia  and the international partners aimed at establishing peace, stability  and security in the region.

"Against the UN Charter, the written commitment to refrain from use  of force or threat of use of force made by the Trilateral statement  of Sochi on October 31, 2022, similar verbal commitments made many  times on other platforms as well as ongoing negotiations on  normalisation of the bilateral relations, the President of Azerbaijan  again threatens the Republic of Armenia with use of force and the  people of Nagorno-Karabakh with ethnic cleansing.

"It is necessary to put on record that the authorities of Azerbaijan  continue to violate and ignore the previously reached agreements,  including the provisions of the Trilateral statement of November 9,  2020 as well as the fundamental principles of international law. This  is evidenced by President Aliyev's words that by controlling the  Lachin corridor Azerbaijan disrupted the connection between  Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. Moreover, in the same context,  Azerbaijan openly threatens to carry out ethnic cleansing if the  Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh do not "learn lessons" from the  blockade of the Lachin corridor.

"Unfortunately, violations of agreements and commitments are not  limited to this. Instead of starting a dialogue with the  representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework of the  international mechanism, the President of Azerbaijan threatens them  with revenge and criminal prosecution. At the same time, it is  evident that Azerbaijan does not want to address the existing  problems, but to move forward on with the principle according to  which "there are no Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, there is no  Nagorno- Karabakh problem". Such actions also contradict the logic of  the ongoing negotiations, including the approaches of the actors who  carry a mediation mission for the settlement.

"There is no doubt that the recognition of the territorial integrity  of Azerbaijan cannot be interpreted as the authority to implement  ethnic cleansing against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The  Republic of Armenia draws the attention of the international  community, including the mediating actors, to the fact that the  President of Azerbaijan, with his statement, is preparing the ground  for another aggressive action against the population of  Nagorno-Karabakh and depriving them of the right to live freely,  safely and with dignity in their homeland.

"It is noteworthy that the President of Azerbaijan not only makes  genocidal threats against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, but  also puts under serious doubt the independence and territorial  integrity of Armenia. In fact, the President of Azerbaijan challenges  the entire civilised community by threatening to occupy new sovereign  territories of Armenia by use of force. Moreover, it is emphasised  that even the presence of the EU Monitoring Mission along the  international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot stop the  territorial claims of Azerbaijan against Armenia.

"Armenia is resolute in its chosen path of establishing peace in the  region. Unfortunately, as can be seen from the aggressive rhetoric  and actions of the Azerbaijani authorities, the latter does not see  the solution to the problems through the recognition of the  territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia with the borders  defined by the Alma-Ata Declaration and addressing the rights and  security of the people of Nagorno- Karabakh, but through the use of  threats and military force.

"In order to prevent such developments, all partners interested in  peace and stability of the South Caucasus should make unambiguous and  unequivocal assessments."