BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 25. We strongly reject the unfounded statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia dated December 24, 2022, which distorts the views expressed by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan during his meeting with the Community of Western Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
The statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry says that Azerbaijan is not interested in peace and stability in the region and violates international law, which is nothing, but hypocrisy.
"We would like to remind the Armenian side that, despite the fact that the territories of Azerbaijan were occupied by Armenia for 30 years, hundreds of thousands of people were expelled from our territories, and massacres were committed, for 25 years the Azerbaijani side remained committed to the negotiation process for a peaceful settlement of the conflict with Armenia. Despite the complete victory in the 44-day Patriotic War and the liberation of territories from occupation, it was the Azerbaijani side that proposed signing a peace treaty with Armenia.
The opinion that Azerbaijan is violating the Prague and Sochi agreements and hindering the peace process is just as unfounded. It should be noted that despite the agreement to discuss and resolve all problematic issues in the Prague and Sochi agreements on the basis of mutual recognition of sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders, the Armenian side not only did not renounce its territorial claims against Azerbaijan, but, as can be seen from the situation around Lachin road, continues its interventions against the sovereignty of Azerbaijan. At the same time, the fact that the Armenian side put forward conditions that prevented the leaders' meeting in Brussels in December, including the refusal of the foreign minister to go to the Moscow meeting on December 23, clearly demonstrates which side is obstructing the peace process.
It is surprising that the occupation by the Azerbaijani side of more advantageous positions in the direction of the undemarcated border with Armenia is assessed as the occupation of the territory of Armenia by Azerbaijan. Thus, taking into account the fact that Armenia has occupied the territories of Azerbaijan for 30 years, the continued occupation of eight internationally recognized villages of Azerbaijan and the deployment of its military positions in many directions within the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, once again demonstrates that there are no grounds to assert that any position on the indicated territory formerly belonged to Armenia.
Evaluation of the judgments that a number of territories in modern Armenia are the historical lands of Azerbaijan as a territorial claim against Armenia, as well as the accusation of Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing is hypocrisy and proves that Armenia is not familiar with historical facts," the ministry said.
It was noted that the resettlement of Armenians to the South Caucasus over the past two hundred years and the oppression of Azerbaijanis in their historical lands is a historical fact.
"As a result of this phased plan, Azerbaijanis were expelled from the territory now called Armenia, from their original historical lands, where they lived for thousands of years, and were subjected to massacres and pogroms, thousands of historical and cultural monuments were destroyed and the settlements that belonged to our people were changed. names of more than 2000 toponyms. In 1948-1953 alone, about 150,000 Azerbaijanis were forcibly and en masse deported from their historical lands in what is now Armenia. In addition, in 1988-1991, another deportation of Azerbaijanis from their historical and ethnic lands took place, as a result of which more than 200,000 Azerbaijanis became refugees from Armenia. In addition to all this, during the almost 30-year occupation of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, the Armenian side pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing against more than 700,000 Azerbaijanis, brutally killing 613 people in Khojaly in one night.
With regard to calls for the restoration of the Lachin road, it seems that the Armenian side is concerned that the protests against illegal economic activities on the Lachin road prevent the supply of the Armenian armed forces, which have not yet withdrawn from the territory of Azerbaijan, contrary to the 4th paragraph of the Tripartite Declaration, as well as military provocations, such as the transport of mines along the Lachin road, contrary to paragraph 6 of the declaration.
It should be noted that the allegations that the protests on the road to Lachin pose a threat of a humanitarian crisis and that the Armenians are allegedly under blockade have no basis. The mode of movement of citizens, vehicles and goods on the road remains unchanged. The mode of movement of citizens, vehicles and goods on the road remains unchanged. The video footage shows the unimpeded passage of various types of transport, including ambulances and convoys with humanitarian aid. In addition, there are no obstacles to the supply of goods for the use of local residents or the provision of necessary medical services. The Azerbaijani government also stated that it is ready to promptly address all humanitarian needs that Armenian residents may face.
We reiterate that the ongoing destructive activities of Armenia, contrary to its obligations, in return for Azerbaijan's intention to establish peace and security in the region and initiatives for a world order, statements and actions against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan do not serve to restore peace in the region. Azerbaijan will continue appropriate peacebuilding measures on the basis provided to it by international law," the ministry noted.