MFA: Stepanakert strongly rejects Azerbaijan`s attempts to distort  essence of Karabakh conflict and present it as internal issue

ArmInfo.Artsakh MFA issued a statement in response to the statements made by Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the President's Office Hikmet Hajiyev regarding the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict, the negotiation process and a number of other issues.

As the NKR MFA press service reports, the Ministry consider it  necessary to state the following:  "The statements of the Azerbaijani  side that the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict has been resolved and is  no longer on the international agenda do not correspond to reality. 

The fact that the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict has not been resolved  and needs a comprehensive settlement has been repeatedly stated by  representatives of both individual States, including the OSCE Minsk  Group co-chairing countries, and a number of international  organisations.  The fact that the UN Security Council, which bears  primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and  security, in December 2022 discussed the situation related to the  blocking of the Lachin Corridor, refutes the claims of the  Azerbaijani side that the conflict is no longer on the international  agenda. The desire of official Baku to legitimise the results of the  illegal use of force against the Republic of Artsakh and its people  and present it as a solution to the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict is  an attempt to return to the times when military force prevailed over  international law.  

We are convinced that a comprehensive settlement of the conflict can  only be achieved through negotiations, on the basis of the norms and  principles of international law.  Rejecting the international  mechanism of dialogue with official Stepanakert, Azerbaijan is trying  to avoid the implementation of possible agreements. Engagement of the  international community in the dialogue between Artsakh and  Azerbaijan is the only way to guarantee a comprehensive settlement of  the conflict.  

We strongly reject Azerbaijan's attempts to distort the essence of  the conflict and present it as an internal issue. Against the  backdrop of the 90-day blockade of Artsakh, it is obvious that in  this way Azerbaijan seeks to create conditions for unhindered ethnic  cleansing in Artsakh, excluding the intervention of the international  community. This is why Azerbaijan is opposed to the involvement of  the international community, including the sending of international  missions to Artsakh, so that nothing and no one can prevent the  implementation of their criminal plans to ethnically cleanse Artsakh.  

At the same time, Azerbaijan continues to make false accusations  claiming that Armenia has not fully withdrawn its armed forces and  continues to supply arms and ammunition to Artsakh. Such statements  do not correspond to reality and are intended to justify the blockade  of Artsakh, which has been lasting for more than 90 days.  

We emphasise that the Republic of Artsakh has a Defence Army made up  of local residents, the presence of which does not contradict any  provision of the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020, and remains  the main guarantee of the security of the people of Artsakh.  Azerbaijan's campaign against the Artsakh Defence Army is due to the  fact that Baku seeks to deprive the Artsakh Armenians of the  possibility of self- defence and resistance to Azerbaijan's criminal  plans of ethnic cleansing.  

Azerbaijan's claims that the Lachin Corridor is open are false. It  should be noted that during the hearings of the International Court  of Justice, Azerbaijan had the opportunity to present all its  arguments regarding the situation related to the blocking of the  Lachin Corridor. However, after a detailed examination of the  arguments presented by the parties, the International Court of  Justice ordered Azerbaijan to ensure the unimpeded movement along the  Lachin Corridor. We recall once again that the decisions of the  International Court of Justice are legally binding,"they concluded.