The Issue of Sending a Fact-Finding Mission is Clearly Becoming Urgent: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia

In recent days, Azerbaijan has sharply intensified the dissemination of false and inaccurate information regarding the Republic of Armenia, states a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

"The most recent example is the misinformation about the accumulation of troops and military supplies by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia along the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border. The spread of such false information indicates Azerbaijan's intention to escalate the situation in the region. Despite repeated denials by the Republic of Armenia, Azerbaijan continues to assert the presence of the Armenian army in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is absolutely untrue," the ministry reports.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs draws the international community's attention to the fact that Azerbaijan has repeatedly rejected Armenia's proposal to send an international fact-finding mission to clarify this issue. Given Azerbaijan's ongoing claims, such a mission is clearly becoming more urgent.

"It is also evident that one of the objectives of the disinformation campaign organized by Azerbaijan is to divert the international community's attention from the growing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and to carry out ethnic cleansing through the provocation of a humanitarian disaster," emphasizes the MFA.

The humanitarian crisis established in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor is direct evidence of Azerbaijan's violation of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020. In recent years, Azerbaijan has violated nearly all provisions of the trilateral statement, particularly points 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9.

As has already been recorded by international partners, by illegally blocking the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan also violates the binding decisions of the International Court of Justice of February 22 and July 6, 2023, which require the uninterrupted movement of persons, vehicles, and goods in both directions through the Lachin corridor.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia stresses that Azerbaijan continues to violate numerous agreements reached during negotiations. This includes, despite the Brussels agreements of May 14, 2023, Azerbaijan has not made a clear statement about recognizing the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia of 29,800 square kilometers, and refuses to implement the agreements reached regarding the reopening of the Yeraskh-Ordubad-Meghri-Horadiz railway.

Official Baku is also obstructing dialogue with Stepanakert by all available means within the framework of international mechanisms. "For about 8 months under the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan has also blocked the entry of around 400 tons of humanitarian cargo waiting at the entrance of the Lachin corridor for 3 weeks," the statement mentions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia emphasizes that there is no alternative to the peace agenda in our region. We reaffirm that despite all the complexities, there is an opportunity to achieve long-term, sustainable, and lasting peace, and we call on Azerbaijan to refrain from any actions that would diminish that possibility.