Azerbaijan's military-political leadership lives in an imaginary world disconnected from reality, says Artsakh Foreign Ministry

Azerbaijan's president's recent statements suggesting that the resumption of military operations does not imply a rejection of the negotiation process, and that official Baku continues to consider the residents of Artsakh as its citizens, are a manifestation of utmost cynicism. This was stated in a press release by the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

The statement particularly notes: "Such assertions indicate that Azerbaijan's military-political leadership lives in an imaginary world, disconnected from reality. Without acknowledging the unjustified and illusory nature of their claims over Artsakh, the authorities in Azerbaijan will not be able to break the vicious cycle they find themselves in due to their anti-Armenian propaganda, attempts to rewrite the history of the region, and biased interpretations of international legal norms.

Firstly, the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh have been living in an independent, sovereign state since 1991 and have no political or legal ties with Azerbaijan. Baku has long lost even the moral right to refer to the residents of Artsakh as its citizens. Moreover, after the armed aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh on September 27, 2020, during which the Azerbaijani army deliberately shelled civilian targets and used prohibited types of weapons, including cluster munitions, such claims from Baku become mere nonsensical verbal debris.

Secondly, by unleashing yet another aggressive war and attempting to resolve the conflict through the use of force, Azerbaijan has nullified all efforts and developments by international mediators in the peace resolution process. Under the current circumstances, there is only one solution – the international recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh, which will ensure long-term peace and stability in the region, and will also prevent attempts by Azerbaijan to unleash another war and avert new crimes against humanity by the authorities in Baku."