Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry condemns Armenia on its purposeful revachist policy
Today, the efforts aimed at establishing a lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia have fallen victim to Armenia's deliberate policy of tension and revanchism and face serious challenges, Azernews reports, citing The Ministry.
Despite its first failure in December 2022, Armenia is once again trying to turn the UN Security Council into an instrument of political, military, and information-oriented manipulation campaigns.
At the same time, Armenia is a country that ignores four UN Security Council resolutions adopted in 1993 and a series of Security Council presidential statements demanding the full, immediate, and unconditional withdrawal of occupying forces from Armenian territory. Azerbaijan for almost 30 years.
Armenia's appeal to the UN Security Council over baseless allegations of a "deteriorating humanitarian situation" and "continuing blockade" in the region comes at a time when Armenia is once again deliberately and purposefully obstructing efforts to find a balanced, international legal and acceptable solution through international partners.
As is well known, Armenia's extensive abuse of the Lachin road over the past three years has forced Azerbaijan to take legitimate and lawful measures to establish a border crossing point to ensure security and order on its border. Although Armenia attempted to portray these efforts as a "blockade" and appealed to the UN International Court of Justice for a decision to remove the checkpoint, the court unanimously rejected this request in its 6 July ruling.
Armenia has not accepted the fact that it is deprived of supplying and equipping the needs of the armed forces, which have not been fully withdrawn from the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as the illegal exploitation of Azerbaijan's natural resources. For this reason, Armenia has launched a propaganda campaign throughout the world and has created a number of military and other obstacles to the normal operation of the crossing point, as well as to the use of other routes, such as the Aghdam-Khankendi road for the delivery of goods to the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan.
Recently, after a series of intensive consultations and efforts of "shuttle diplomacy", an agreement was finally reached on the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the Garabagh region by various routes, as well as on the organization of a meeting between the special representative of Azerbaijan and representatives of local Armenian residents.
On the first issue, in order to meet the needs of local residents, to create conditions for the delivery of humanitarian supplies through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the concrete and all other physical obstacles erected by Armenia to prevent the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road were to be removed. This was to be followed by the activation of the ICRC's use of the Lachin road within 24 hours. All parties, including the Russian peacekeeping contingent and the ICRC, were ready to put this agreement into practice.
On the second issue, an agreement was reached between the special representative of Azerbaijan and local representatives of Armenia to hold a meeting in Yevlakh.
However, on 5 August 2023, Armenia, through its so-called regime, violated both agreements reached at the last moment by putting forward politically motivated, illegal conditions and various pretexts.
In other words, what Armenia demanded from the international community in general, and the UN Security Council in particular, was achieved a few days ago as a result of the support of partners, including members of the Council. Council. This did not happen only because of Armenia's refusal.
However, on 5 August 2023, Armenia, through its so-called regime, violated both agreements reached at the last moment by putting forward politically motivated, illegal conditions and various pretexts. In other words, what Armenia demanded from the international community in general, and the UN Security Council in particular, was achieved a few days ago as a result of the support of partners, including members of the Council. Council. This did not happen only because of Armenia's refusal. Had Armenia and its so-called "entity" under its jurisdiction honored the agreement, the issue would have been resolved by early August, with an acceptable framework for the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the inhabitants of the Garabagh region, as well as facilitating the passage of people, goods, and vehicles.
For this reason, there should be no doubt that, despite Azerbaijan's intensive engagement with the Russian Federation, the United States, the European Union, and the ICRC to find a way out of the current situation, Armenia is deliberately obstructing these diplomatic efforts. Armenia’s appeal to the UN Security Council is part of this campaign, and in this respect, it seriously affects the efforts of the parties involved, including the members of the Security Council. In addition, in recent weeks, in flagrant violation of international law, as well as Armenia's obligations set out in paragraph 4 of the Tripartite Statement by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia of 10 November 2020, Armenian armed forces illegally deployed on the territory of Azerbaijan have conducted military engineering works and intensified other military construction works.
Of particular concern is the use of electronic warfare equipment illegally deployed on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan. In recent weeks, in addition to civilian aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines, aircraft of foreign States have been subjected to electronic jamming, which poses a serious threat to their security. In parallel with the illegal build-up of military construction works and activities in the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeeping contingent is temporarily deployed, in recent days there has been a large-scale collection of weapons, other military equipment, and personnel for another military adventure along the State border, which Armenia has not delimited. The above is a reminder of Armenia's practice for almost 30 years until September 2020, which included political, military, and other provocations at every stage of negotiations to simulate negotiations, evade earlier commitments at the last minute and avoid making concrete decisions. At the same time, such actions by Armenia show that Armenia has not ceased its territorial claims against Azerbaijan, and its verbal recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity differs from its actions on the ground.
After the war in 2020, Azerbaijan offered Armenia a peace based on equal and mutual respect for the legitimate interests of both sides on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for each other's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of each other's borders by the two countries. On the other hand, Azerbaijan pursues a policy of reintegrating the inhabitants of Armenian origin living in the Garabagh region as equal citizens by ensuring the rights and freedoms provided for in the Constitution of Azerbaijan and all relevant international human rights mechanisms in which Azerbaijan participates. At the same time, Azerbaijan, while demonstrating its commitment to all these areas,
At this critical juncture, a clear understanding of the existing risks and an adequate response of the international community to Armenia's provocations are more important than ever to overcome the difficulties faced by the process of normalization of inter-State relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the reintegration of local residents of Armenian origin into the political, legal and socio-economic framework of Azerbaijan.
It is important to ensure that a historic opportunity for sustainable peace in the region is not lost.
Had Armenia and its so-called "entity" under its jurisdiction honored the agreement, the issue would have been resolved by early August, with an acceptable framework for the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the inhabitants of the Garabagh region, as well as facilitating the passage of people, goods, and vehicles.
For this reason, there should be no doubt that, despite Azerbaijan's intensive engagement with the Russian Federation, the United States, the European Union, and the ICRC to find a way out of the current situation, Armenia is deliberately obstructing these diplomatic efforts.
Armenia's appeal to the UN Security Council is part of this campaign, and in this respect, it seriously affects the efforts of the parties involved, including the members of the Security Council. In addition, in recent weeks, in flagrant violation of international law, as well as Armenia's obligations set out in paragraph 4 of the Tripartite Statement by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia of 10 November 2020, Armenian armed forces illegally deployed on the territory of Azerbaijan have conducted military engineering works and intensified other military construction works.
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