Azerbaijanis Dream of Taking Stepanakert Under Their Control, But Such Statements Are Terrorism: Babayan

Azerbaijanis and Turks dream of bringing Stepanakert under their control, but making such statements is nothing more than terrorism. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh, David Babayan, in a conversation with a reporter from ‘Factinfo’, commenting on the recent post by Azerbaijani human rights defender Ahmed Shahidov.

As previously reported, Shahidov wrote on his Twitter page that as of June, Stepanakert will be under the complete control of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, whether peacefully or by force. He also emphasized that Armenians are not sufficiently informed about the statement made regarding the ceasefire on November 10.

According to Shahidov, in accordance with the trilateral statement, Stepanakert and all cities will gradually come under Azerbaijani control. The human rights defender also declared that anyone who does not believe this can ask Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about it.

Babayan noted that Azerbaijan understands that it cannot achieve its goals through military means. “Baku wants to undermine the will and spirit of our people. So that those citizens who wanted to return to Artsakh won't come. And those who live here will begin to leave Artsakh. This is one of the terrorist PR technologies that is being implemented at the highest state level in Azerbaijan and Turkey,” emphasized the head of the Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Responding to the journalist's question about how to counter such Azerbaijani propaganda, Babayan replied, “We simply need to get out of a state of stress; we must strengthen our statehood and pursue correct policies. The country must be gradually reinforced, and professionals and patriots must play a decisive role in state-building. It is essential to strengthen the patriotic upbringing of the population.”

He also stressed the need to fight against internal enemies, as they are much more dangerous than external ones. “Again, scoundrels have appeared who began to call the people of Artsakh Turks, which is unacceptable. Such people must be imprisoned; all normal individuals should avoid contact with them. A boycott must be declared against them, and thereafter criminal responsibility must be established for such actions,” concluded Babayan.