Details added (first version posted at 18:35)
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 6
Trend:
Russia’s Foreign Ministry once again raised the issue concerning the entry of Russian citizens of Armenian origin to the territory of Azerbaijan in the form that is beyond diplomatic ethics, which causes surprise and bewilderment, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russia’s unfriendly attitude does not in any case conform to the spirit of the relations of strategic nature between the countries, the Foreign Ministry said.
“Over the past 25 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Russia, this issue has never been on the agenda. It is difficult to explain the extraordinary activity of the Russian side at this time.”
Based on its national interests and safety considerations, Azerbaijan itself decides on the entry of nationals of other states into its territory, reads the statement.
Russia, as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair, knows that Armenia occupied 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territories and more than one million Azerbaijanis became refugees and IDPs, the statement said.
The statement also mentions the July 4 shelling of the Alkhanly village in Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli district by Armenia, which killed and injured civilians.
“Russia is one of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and we expect that the Russian Federation, on the basis of its commitments, will step up efforts to resolve the [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict and the Armenian armed forces will be withdrawn from the occupied territories. As a result, peace and stability will be established in the region. Only after this, conditions will be created for free movement.”