Azerbaijan Responds to Armenian Foreign Ministry Statement

“To characterize the departure of Armenians from Azerbaijani territory as ethnic cleansing is hypocrisy,” stated Ayxan Hacızadə, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, responding to today’s statement from Armenia’s foreign affairs office.

“It is unacceptable for the Armenian Foreign Ministry to refer to the disarmament and withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the economic region of Nagorno-Karabakh, aimed at restoring Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and constitutional order, as an ‘attack on Nagorno-Karabakh’ and ‘ethnic cleansing,’” Hacızadə noted.

Today marks one year since the fall of Artsakh. In this regard, the Armenian Foreign Ministry declared that one year ago, on September 19, the military attack by Azerbaijan resulted in the displacement of the entire indigenous population of Nagorno-Karabakh, stating that more than 115,000 Armenians were forced to leave their homes in just a few days.

During the military aggression carried out by Azerbaijan on September 19-20, 2023, approximately 105,000 Artsakh Armenians sought refuge in Armenia. As a result of Azerbaijan's military aggression, over 200 people lost their lives, including 181 soldiers, with 15 individuals reported missing. According to official data, 23 Armenians are currently held in Azerbaijani prisons, among them 8 are members of the Artsakh military-political leadership.

The military operations by Azerbaijan were preceded by a ten-month blockade, during which Artsakh was deprived of food supplies. The residents of Artsakh lived without electricity, gas, fuel, and medicine, and their water supplies were on the verge of depletion.