Azerbaijan tries to justify, with fictitious reasons and ex post facto, the aggression against the Republic of Armenia, occupation of territories in May, November of last year, the aggression launched on September 13, 2022. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced this at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the Armenian government—and referring to the statements made by Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday.

“The shelling of 36 settlements in the sovereign territory of Armenia, including Goris, Jermuk, Vardenis, Kapan, Geghamasar, the displacement of 7,600 civilians, including 1,437 children, 99 persons with disabilities, the targeting of 193 residential houses, 3 hotels, 2 schools, one medical center, the killing of 211 Armenians, including 3 civilians, the extrajudicial executions of at least 11 prisoners of war, including the torture and humiliating treatment of the bodies of female servicemen cannot be justified, and all calls to bring those responsible for these crimes to justice are unequivocally righteous.

The demand of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to stop violations of the line of contact by the Azerbaijani troops and withdraw the troops from the area of responsibility of the peacekeepers is also righteous, as well as to renounce the genocidal policy of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh. A manifestation of this policy was the explosion by Azerbaijan of the only pipeline supplying Nagorno-Karabakh with natural gas in March 2022 in conditions of unprecedented cold, and the obstruction of its restoration for a long period. During the same period, the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces illuminated concrete apartments and districts of a number of Armenian villages of Nagorno-Karabakh with strong searchlights at night hours, threatening residents to leave their homes, and calling for Islamic prayer combined with gunshots, performing "azan" through super-powerful loudspeakers.

And now the authors of this behavior want to accuse Armenia of anti-Islamic practices, while our respect for the Islamic religion and civilization is unquestionable. The Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people have fraternal feelings and partnership relations with dozens of Islamic countries and peoples, while Azerbaijan, with its above-mentioned practices, reminds of Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, which discredit Islam,” the Armenian premier added.