“There have been and will be trips to Shushi” - Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry responds to Armenia’s Foreign Ministry

On July 9, in connection with a visit to Shushi, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a note of protest to the ambassadors accredited in Azerbaijan, which again demonstrates that “this country still shows a position contrary to international law and based on territorial claims” (quotes – Ed.). This statement was made by Leyla Abdullayeva, head of the press service of Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.

“We emphasize once again that Armenia cannot only complain but also comment on any trip made in the territory recognized internationally as Azerbaijan,” she said.

The Foreign Ministry representative stressed that “the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, while preparing the note, should at least think about what it is complaining about and on what basis.”

“Shushi has already been liberated and, like other liberated areas, is an integral part of Azerbaijan. Trips have taken place and will take place here, restoration works are ongoing, and the legal owners of the city will return to their homes; in short, life will resume in our cultural homeland,” Leyla Abdullayeva stated.

She added that “it seems that the absence of leadership in Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is also influencing the documents prepared by this institution. Armenia’s Foreign Ministry needs to understand the new situation that has emerged in the region.”

It is worth noting that on July 9, over 40 representatives of the diplomatic corps in Baku, invited by the government of the country, visited the city of Shushi, which is now under Baku's control in Nagorno-Karabakh. Only the ambassadors of the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, namely the USA, Russia, and France, refused the invitation.

As reported earlier by Tert.am, regarding the participation of diplomatic representatives from certain countries in the organized visit to the occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh by the Azerbaijani authorities on July 9-10, the heads of the respective diplomatic missions have been invited to the Armenian Foreign Ministry. The Armenian Foreign Ministry has communicated to the ambassadors documents directed to their countries' governments, which specifically stated that the Republic of Armenia absolutely considers the visits of diplomatic representatives accredited in Azerbaijan to the occupied territories of Artsakh, including Hadrut and the historical center of Artsakh, the city of Shushi, to be unacceptable, which have undergone ethnic cleansing, and against the population, war crimes and mass atrocities have been committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces.

It was emphasized that the Azerbaijani authorities attempt to legitimize the aggression against the people of Artsakh and reinforce their claims to resolve the conflict through the use of force through such events.

Throughout all meetings, it was highlighted that the involvement of diplomatic representatives in such visits contradicts the spirit of cooperation formed between the Republic of Armenia and the respective countries as well as the positions of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship. In this regard, Armenia firmly calls for refraining from any actions that could justify the use of force and thereby undermine regional peace and security.

The use of force and mass atrocities cannot resolve the Karabakh conflict, the settlement of which is possible only through negotiations within the framework of the only format with an international mandate—the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry has also initiated steps to communicate Armenia's aforementioned position to the capitals of those countries that have accredited their diplomatic representations in Armenia on a reciprocal basis.