Azerbaijan Advises to Resolve Border Issues Constructively Through Bilateral Channels, Says MFA Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva

Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva has stated, "We advise the political and military circles of Armenia to recognize the reality of the interstate border regime along the international border, to prevent unjustified escalation of the situation in the region, and to resolve border issues with the Azerbaijani side constructively through bilateral channels."

Commenting on Armenia's demands regarding the recent incidents along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and Armenia's claims that Azerbaijan has violated its sovereign territory, Abdullayeva said, "These claims are completely unfounded. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has issued a statement clarifying the situation associated with the tensions at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. First of all, I want to emphasize that the root cause of the border issues is the illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia until November 2020. It is Armenia that is violating Azerbaijan's internationally recognized borders. Azerbaijan is only restoring its internationally recognized borders."

She added, "As already mentioned in our official statements, Azerbaijan continues to strengthen the border protection system implemented within the framework of its territorial integrity due to the improvement of weather conditions in the liberated territories adjacent to Armenia. This process is carried out based on the maps that determine the border line between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which are held by both sides. We always respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of internationally recognized borders. Certainly, mutual respect for these principles, building friendly relations on this basis, and successfully starting the process of border delimitation/demarcation is the only way to resolve any emerging disputes."

Abdullayeva emphasized that Armenia and Azerbaijan have just emerged from war, and therefore the successful delimitation and demarcation of borders play a key role in ensuring peace and security. She noted that in recent months, there have been disagreements between the parties regarding border issues, all of which have been resolved through tripartite statement negotiations. "We believe that such disagreements should be resolved through political and diplomatic means," she added.

Commenting on the responses of some members of the international community to the recent tensions at the border, Abdullayeva pointed out that the issues of delimitation and demarcation are bilateral, very complex, and technical processes.