The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia draws the attention of the international community to the latest bellicose statements voiced by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on May 28, which are aimed at disrupting the efforts of the Republic of Armenia and international partners to establish peace, stability, and security in the region.
"Contrary to the UN Charter, the written commitment not to use or threaten to use force made in the Trilateral Statement of October 31, 2022, in Sochi, similar verbal commitments repeatedly made in other venues, and negotiations to normalize bilateral relations, the President of Azerbaijan is again threatening the Republic of Armenia with force and the people of Nagorno-Karabakh with ethnic cleansing.
It should be noted that the Azerbaijani leadership continues to flout and disregard the agreements reached earlier, including the provisions of the tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, as well as the fundamental principles of international law. This is evidenced by President Aliyev's words that by controlling the Lachin corridor, Azerbaijan broke the connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. Moreover, in the same context, the latter openly threatens ethnic cleansing if the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh "do not learn lessons" from the blocking of the Lachin corridor.
Unfortunately, the violations of the reached agreements and commitments are not limited to that. Instead of starting a dialogue with the representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh within an international mechanism, the President of Azerbaijan threatens them with reprisals and criminal prosecution. At the same time, it is demonstrated that Azerbaijan does not want to solve the existing problems, rather to move forward by the principle "no Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, no Nagorno-Karabakh problem". This manner also contradicts the logic of the current negotiations, including the approaches of the players who are carrying out a mediation mission.
It is indisputable that recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan cannot be interpreted as a right to ethnic cleansing against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Republic of Armenia draws the attention of the international community, including the players involved in the mediation mission, to the fact that, with his statement, the President of Azerbaijan is preparing ground for yet another aggressive action against the people of Nagorno Karabakh and for the denial of their right to live in freedom, safety, and dignity in their homeland.
It is noteworthy that the President of Azerbaijan not only voiced a genocidal threat against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, but also questioned the independence and territorial integrity of Armenia.
In fact, the President of Azerbaijan is challenging the entire civilized society by threatening to forcefully occupy other sovereign territories of Armenia. Moreover, it is stressed that even the presence of an EU observation mission along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot stop Azerbaijan's desire to satisfy its territorial ambitions against Armenia.
Armenia is firm on its way to establishing peace in the region. Unfortunately, as follows from the aggressive rhetoric and actions of the Azerbaijani leadership, they see the solution of problems not through the recognition of the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia within borders stipulated by the Alma-Ata Declaration and addressing the rights and security of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh , but through the threat and use of military force. To prevent such developments, all the partners interested in peace and stability of the South Caucasus ought to make unambiguous and unequivocal assessments," the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia reads.
