Baku has said that the statement by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on the anniversary of the Maragha atrocities and the Armenian ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) "promotes separatism in Azerbaijan."

In the respective comment by the Azerbaijani MFA, the latter has “rejected another unfounded, illegal, and hostile statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, and strongly condemned the destructive position of the Armenian side at a time when steps are being taken to normalize the relations between the two countries," APA reported.

"By subjecting about 1 million Azerbaijanis to ethnic cleansing, they grossly violated the fundamental rights of these people for nearly 30 years, committed numerous war crimes during the military aggression, including the brutal killing of 613 civilians overnight in Khojaly, disappeared in the early 1990s and On what grounds does the Armenian side, which is responsible for the fate of about 4,000 Azerbaijanis whose mass graves have been found and has so far evaded responsibility for its numerous crimes, speak of mass murder and ethnic cleansing?!" the Azerbaijani MFA added.

"This statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, which promotes separatism in Azerbaijan, interferes in the internal affairs of another state in violation of international law, and undermines peace-building efforts in the region, demonstrates the real intention of the opposite side is not normalization and peaceful coexistence. Regardless of Armenia's choice, Azerbaijan will continue its steps towards development and progress within its international borders in accordance with its obligations and international law," also reads the comment by the Azerbaijani MFA.