BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 1. The reference to the city of Khankendi as “Stepanakert” by TASS, the official state news agency of the Russian Federation, is considered as an act of disrespect and insult to the territorial integrity of our country, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press secretary Aykhan Hajizade said, commenting on questions from local media regarding the statement by the special representative of the President of Russia for international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy regarding the dismantling of the bust of Aivazovsky, as well as the use of the name "Stepanakert" in a publication by the TASS news agency regarding the Azerbaijani city of Khankendi, Trend reports.
"We would like to remind the Russian side that the renaming of the city of Khankendi to “Stepanakert” in 1923 in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast—unlawfully created on the historical lands of Azerbaijan—was a disrespect to Azerbaijan, as it was named in honor of Bolshevik Stepan Shaumyan, who, together with Dashnak Armenians, carried out massacres against the Azerbaijani people.
We expect the Russian side to cease the distortion of Azerbaijani toponyms and the use of names adopted by the former separatist puppet regime to refer to our territories. If such actions continue, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity, Azerbaijan may refer to various toponyms in Russia by their historical names.
We expect an apology and an appropriate correction from the TASS News Agency on this matter. Otherwise, in accordance with the law, relevant measures will be taken regarding TASS’s operations in Azerbaijan," Aykhan Hajizade said.