The War Started by Azerbaijan Aims at Ethnic Cleansing, Says President to Russian Media

President Armen Sargsyan met today with representatives of Russian media and answered their questions regarding Azerbaijan's military aggression.

“What started on September 27 was not a local clash as seen in the past. It is a real war for which Azerbaijan and Turkey have long and seriously prepared. It is also different in that this war involves a third party—Turkey, with its direct participation,” said President Sargsyan.

“The conflicting parties—Azerbaijan and the Republic of Artsakh—have different approaches. Azerbaijan claims it is liberating its territories. From whom is it liberating them? If they are liberating them from Armenians, there is a different term for that—not territorial integrity but another international term: ethnic cleansing. In other words, they want this territory, but—without Armenians. So let’s call things by their names. There is a war, started by Azerbaijan, and it should not be tied to territorial integrity; it is simply aimed at ethnic cleansing.”