Armenian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Responds to Aliyev's Territorial Ambitions

The spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anna Naghdalyan, considers it absurd for the leader of a country that has only a century-long history in the South Caucasus, both politically and geographically, to present territorial claims against Armenia and the Armenian people in his homeland.

In an interview with Armenpress regarding Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's recent statements, including Canada's lack of evidence proving the use of Canadian technologies in Bayraktar drones, Naghdalyan discussed concerns surrounding Azerbaijan's behavior.

She said, 'It is absurd for a leader of a country that has only a century-long history in the South Caucasus to present territorial claims against Armenia and the Armenian people in his homeland.'

Aliyev, during his speech at the conference titled 'A New Look at the South Caucasus: Development and Cooperation in a Post-Conflict Period', mentioned that Armenia was offered to sign a peace agreement, but there has been no response from the Armenian side. In this context, she noted that no meetings with the Azerbaijani side are planned, emphasizing that the Azerbaijani leadership's hatred-filled stance does not provide grounds for expecting constructiveness in seeking solutions to the situation created by the aggression against Artsakh.

Naghdalyan highlighted that Aliyev's contradictory statements illustrate the distance between Azerbaijan's leadership and their declarative statements on post-war realities, regional peace, and reconciliation.

'A peace agreement requires a peace process, which has ceased following Azerbaijan's use of force,' she underscored.

Furthermore, she commented on Aliyev's remarks regarding Zangezur as Azerbaijan's historical land and his aspirations towards Yerevan and Sevan, stating that such incendiary declarations undermine efforts to establish stability in the region, posing a threat to all countries in the area.

On the issue of the Canadian government's decision regarding Bayraktar drones, Naghdalyan explained that comprehensive information regarding the weaponry used against Artsakh and its people has been provided to their partners, and emphasized the critical need for international support in returning all prisoners of war and civilians held by Azerbaijan without preconditions.

She reiterated that the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister's statement about the resolution of the prisoners of war issue displays blatant disregard for Azerbaijan's own commitments made in the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020, and highlights the destructive nature of Azerbaijan's position.

'We expect the international community, particularly the co-chair countries of the OSCE Minsk Group and relevant international bodies, to actively support the prompt and safe return of all detained prisoners of war and civilians held by Azerbaijan,' she concluded.