BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 19. Armenia must
unequivocally accept Karabakh as the territory of Azerbaijan, Trend
reports citing the comment of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry in
connection with the statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry
dated April 19.
“We strongly reject the fully distorted statement by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, which refers to the
interview of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev of April 18, 2023.
Accusation against Azerbaijan in ethnic cleansing and assertion
of Armenia to be a peaceful side, who during almost 30-years of
occupation period plundered 9 cities and hundreds of villages,
carried out ethnic cleansing against 1 million Azerbaijanis,
deprived them of the right to return to their homes, and ignored
the calls of international organizations and partners to end the
occupation of Azerbaijani lands, is an example of hypocrisy and
fraud.
Claims by Armenia that Azerbaijan allegedly acts on the basis of
hatred is completely baseless, since Armenia, despite the
international obligations and even the decision of the
International Court of Justice, continues to promote racial enmity
on the basis of hatred against Azerbaijan as can also be seen from
the burning of the Azerbaijani flag at the European weightlifting
championship, welcomes and refuses to punish the activities of
persons acting on the basis of hatred, as well as ethno-nationalist
groups, committed atrocities against Azerbaijani prisoners, as well
as massacres.
Azerbaijan is committed to the process of reintegration of
Armenian residents living in the territory of Azerbaijan. Armenia
must stop interfering in this process. All rights and freedoms of
every person, who wants to live in the territory of Azerbaijan
while obeying its laws, are guaranteed.
As mentioned by President Ilham Aliyev, it was Azerbaijan that
initiated the proposal to sign a peace treaty with Armenia based on
the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty, despite
its territory being under occupation for 30 years. On the contrary,
Armenia not only obstructs the negotiation process with various
pretexts, but also attempts to include in the peace agreement
issues that are in direct conflict with the principles of
international law, thereby prolonging the process. The fact that
Armenia did not comment on Azerbaijan’s proposals on the peace
agreement during the last 43 days is an example of this country’s
lack of interest in result-oriented negotiations.
Accusation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia against
Azerbaijani servicemen, who crossed into the territory of Armenia
in adverse weather conditions, and were captured and subjected to
inhumane violence contrary to the principles of international
humanitarian law, in an alleged murder without any legal basis is
against all norms and principles of law. It should be known to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia that if the guilt of a
person accused of committing a crime has not been proven in
accordance with the law, and if there is no valid and legally
binding court judgement, then the person is considered innocent. It
seems that Armenia, while talking about the rule of law, is unaware
of its basic principles. Furthermore, this step of Armenia shows
that it has no intention to reciprocate the confidence-building
measure by Azerbaijan such as the immediate return of the Armenian
soldiers who got lost and crossed the border of Azerbaijan after
the end of the 30-year occupation, and this action should be
strongly condemned.
If the appeals presented as a peaceful message are not
accompanied by any practical steps, and, in contrast, while these
misleading messages are being voiced along with the claims against
the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and if
Armenia refuses to withdraw its armed forces comprised of 10,000
personnel from the territories of Azerbaijan, if it does not
liberate 8 villages of Azerbaijan that are still under occupation,
if it continues its military and political provocations in the
territories of Azerbaijan, then such messages of Armenia are
baseless.
Azerbaijan, as the initiating party, is ready to sign a peace
agreement with Armenia based on the principles of territorial
integrity and sovereignty. For this, Armenia must give up its
territorial claims against Azerbaijan and unequivocally accept
Karabakh as the territory of Azerbaijan,” said the statement.
