The Risk of New Azerbaijani Aggression Remains Very High: Mher Grigoryan

During the recent meeting of the Council of Heads of Governments of the CIS member states, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan stated that despite Armenia's constructive disposition towards normalizing relations with Azerbaijan, provocations and militaristic statements from Azerbaijan have not ceased. These threats to use force are accompanied by clear territorial claims on the sovereign, internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Armenia.

“We believe that the main role in the normalization of relations lies in the constructive joint work of the demarcation and security commissions established within the framework of the relevant agreements reached during the trilateral meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the President of Russia, and the President of Azerbaijan in Sochi on November 26 of last year. It is particularly important to emphasize that the agreement stipulates that we should rely on the fundamental documents of the CIS in the demarcation process, based on which the former administrative boundaries of the Soviet republics have become state borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Mher Grigoryan stated.

The Deputy Prime Minister reminded that since September 13 of this year, Azerbaijan has been intensively shelling the internationally recognized and sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia using drones, firearms, and artillery towards residential buildings, civilian objects, and infrastructures. “As a result of Azerbaijani aggression, the number of victims and missing persons, including civilians, has now exceeded 210. It is known for certain that three civilians have died and two have gone missing. Hundreds of people have sustained injuries of varying degrees. The number of missing soldiers stands at 28. More than seven thousand five hundred people have been evacuated from the Gegharkunik, Vayotz Dzor, and Syunik regions of the Republic of Armenia, the majority being women, children, and the elderly.

The videos disseminated by the Azerbaijani side showing torture, brutal murders, and mutilations of the bodies of captured individuals, as well as the desecration of the bodies of fallen Armenian soldiers, have shocked the conscience of the civilized world. It is extremely alarming that materials posted in the media space that testify to the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Azerbaijani servicemen are not only widely circulated among Azerbaijani users on social media but also receive positive assessments. Azerbaijan’s militaristic rhetoric indicates that this country intends to occupy more territories of Armenia, which must be prevented,” Grigoryan declared.

According to him, this is further evidenced by attempts to attribute violations of the ceasefire regime to the Armenian side, which is an attempt to prepare the ground for a new phase of aggression against the Republic of Armenia. “The risk of new aggression from Azerbaijan remains very high. In the context of preventing new attacks by Azerbaijan, a special role is assigned to the clear and targeted response from international partners to Baku's provocative statements.

In conclusion, I want to emphasize that the political-diplomatic settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an inseparable part of establishing peace and security in the South Caucasus region, and to ensure stability and security, Azerbaijani armed formations must be unconditionally and immediately withdrawn from the sovereign territory of Armenia.

In the context of the unblocking of all regional communications, the continuous exploitation of the “corridor thematic” by Azerbaijan only hinders the implementation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020. I want to emphasize that the term “corridor” is not mentioned anywhere in the ninth point of this statement. The word “corridor” in the statement of November 9, 2020, is used exclusively in relation to the Lachin corridor, which ensures the safety and livelihood of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and has no connection to the issue of unblocking transport links in the region. Any fabricated parallel drawn between these agreements will be regarded as counterproductive. The statement does not contain any unilateral obligation from Armenia to construct a new road connecting the western regions of Azerbaijan with the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

We have always proposed and continue to propose to unblock all transport and economic links in the region based on respect for the sovereignty and legislation of the parties, through constructive dialogue, and finding effective mutually beneficial solutions. The evident desire of Azerbaijan to isolate routes and people's communication through the unblocking of transport communications demonstrates that the Azerbaijani side does not pursue the ultimate goal of establishing lasting peace in the region,” stated the Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia.