Azerbaijan Responds to Statement Issued by Armenia's Foreign Ministry

The Azerbaijani government has characterized the statement issued by Armenia's Foreign Ministry regarding the anniversary of the Maragha atrocities and the ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh as "encouragement of separatism in Azerbaijan's territory." According to a statement from Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry, the accusations made by the Armenian side are dismissed as "another baseless, unlawful, and hostile statement."

"We decisively condemn the Armenian side's unconstructive position, especially when decisions have been made to undertake measures for resolution between the two countries," the statement from Azerbaijan's authoritarian regime emphasized, as reported by APA.

"On what basis does Armenia, which subjected nearly 1 million Azerbaijanis to ethnic cleansing, grossly violated the fundamental rights of those people for almost 30 years, and committed numerous war crimes during military aggression—including the barbaric murder of 613 civilians in Khojaly overnight—speak of accountability for the mass killings and ethnic cleansing?" The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan added that the Armenian Foreign Ministry's statement, which encourages separatism in Azerbaijani territory by interfering in another state's internal affairs in violation of international law, undermines efforts to build peace in the region and reveals that the true intent of the other side is not resolution or peaceful coexistence. "Regardless of Armenia's elections, Azerbaijan will continue to take steps towards development and progress within the framework of its international borders, in accordance with its obligations and international law," the statement concluded.