Azerbaijan Responds to Armen Grigoryan’s Visit to Stepanakert

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the visit of Armenia's Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan to Stepanakert yesterday, asserting that it jeopardizes efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

According to a statement, this "illegal step," taken by an Armenian official immediately after the meeting of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels, "clearly indicates Armenia's insincerity in the normalization process." The ministry claims that this "illegal visit" demonstrates that Armenia's statements about not having territorial claims against Azerbaijan are "far from being sincere." It emphasized that official Yerevan does not respect the efforts of international mediators. Azerbaijan further stated, according to the APA news agency, that "any actions undertaken against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity across international borders will be met with a response."

It is noteworthy that on the occasion of the Independence Day of Artsakh, the official Yerevan did not dispatch a delegation to Stepanakert. At the end of the day, Armen Grigoryan announced via a Facebook post that he had visited the brotherly memorial-pantheon in Stepanakert and laid flowers.