Azerbaijani Side's Fabricated Rhetoric and Demands Change Daily: Armenian Foreign Ministry

The spokesperson for the Armenian Foreign Ministry responded to a question from Radio Liberty regarding the eight preconditions put forth by Azerbaijan's permanent representative to the UN.

Question: Recently, Azerbaijan's permanent representative to the UN has put forth eight preconditions, including the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh, the release of eight occupied villages in Azerbaijan, and the abandonment of territorial claims against Azerbaijan, which Armenia must fulfill to improve relations with Azerbaijan. What is your comment on this?

Answer: It should first be noted that the fabricated rhetoric and demands from the Azerbaijani side change daily, making it increasingly difficult not only for the Republic of Armenia, but also for the entire international community to follow Azerbaijani manipulations. A prime example of this is the rhetoric surrounding the blockade of the Lachin corridor. Since December 12 of last year, Azerbaijan has shifted from stating that the corridor is not closed, to asserting that it is closed due to so-called 'environmental activists'. Then, when it was announced that the contested mine had ceased operations, so-called 'eco-activists' demanded to check Red Cross vehicles and humanitarian cargoes passing through the corridor. Subsequently, these actions were justified by fabricated claims regarding mine relocation, and after the judgment of the International Court of Justice, they began to again assert that the corridor is open. On April 23, by placing a checkpoint in blatant violation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, they revealed the true purpose of the state-level staged provocation that had been organized for months.

Returning to the main question, it should be emphasized that the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia operate solely within the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia. It is known that to defend against the aggression perpetrated by Azerbaijan since the 1990s and to prevent mass violence against the peaceful population of Nagorno-Karabakh, a defense army has been formed by the Armenian community of Karabakh, which continues to perform its duties to prevent the implementation of the aforementioned operations planned by Azerbaijan decades ago. The defense army has become and remains relevant exclusively due to Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing policy, including physical and psychological terror against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, murders, periodic violations of the ceasefire regime, blocking the Lachin corridor, and disrupting the supply of food and medicine to Nagorno-Karabakh as well as gas and electricity supplies.

Regarding the eight villages mentioned by Azerbaijan at different levels, it should be reminded to the Azerbaijani side that, since the 1990s, Azerbaijan has occupied Artsvashen, the arable lands of Vazashen and Aygehovit villages in Tavush region, and 70% of the arable lands of Berkaberd and Paravakar villages, and after the 44-day war, as a result of renewed aggression, an additional area of 150 square kilometers was captured. It is astounding that officials of a country whose highest leadership openly lays territorial claims against Armenia’s sovereign territories speak about the occupation of territories by Armenia, sometimes even stating that there is no boundary between Armenia and Azerbaijan, thus it is not violated by advancing their armed forces. On several occasions, the President of Azerbaijan has openly confessed to the occupation of Armenian territories, threatening to seize new territories through the use of force if his expansionist demands are not met.

Regrettably, Armenia’s calls for Azerbaijan to respect the border line established by the two countries still remain unanswered, as do the legal justifications related to some of the mentioned villages. Furthermore, the proposal from the Armenian side regarding the mirrored withdrawal of forces from the 1975 border line remains unanswered, which would unequivocally contribute to reducing border tensions and addressing several existing issues.

Armenia is convinced that only through constructive dialogue can all issues be resolved, while Azerbaijan’s current policy clearly does not contribute to reducing tensions in the region or establishing peace.