BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 10. A letter from Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov addressed to the UN Secretary-General António Guterres on February 27 in connection with the decision of the International Court of Justice on the Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination of February 22, 2023, is spread as an official document of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, Trend report via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.
In the letter, decisions of the International Court of Justice of the UN and cases of violation by Armenia of the previous decision are noted.
The letter notes that the court rejected Armenia's request for the two main provisional measures against Azerbaijan that the peaceful protests arranged by the group of Azerbaijani eco-activists on the Lachin-Khankendi road allegedly "are orchestrated by the Government of Azerbaijan" and that "Azerbaijan has disrupted supply of natural gas and other public utilities (such as electricity and Internet)".
In the letter regarding the unfounded claim that the International Court of Justice allegedly granted Armenia's petition, it is emphasized that the court's decision on provisionary measures does not correspond to Armenia's request, it is not about that Azerbaijan should "ensure uninterrupted free movement" on the Lachin-Khankendi road, but that the country " take all steps within its power."
The court also declined Armenia's claim on the "free" movement of "all" persons, vehicles, and cargo along the road. Thus, the court's decision indirectly took into account Azerbaijan's position on the inadmissibility of uncontrolled traffic on the Lachin-Khankendi road. The considered terms of the court’s order support Azerbaijan’s long-standing position that it is not responsible for the protests of a group of civil society organizations, and Azerbaijan is not obligated to prevent them from exercising their legitimate right to protest. Meanwhile, the court, changing Armenia's request for "uninterrupted free movement" demonstrated that it opposes the abuse of the Lachin-Khankendi road for military and economic purposes.
The cases of misuse of the Lachin-Khakendi by Armenia are also noted in the letter. It is mentioned that Azerbaijan has and undertakes to continue to take all steps within its power to guarantee the safety of movement along the road. Neither the Azerbaijani government nor the protesters create obstacles to traffic on the road.
The information about the passage of cars of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Russian peacekeeping contingent is also noted in the letter. The passage of more than 3,000 cars along the road indicates that the allegations of a "blockade" and "tense humanitarian" situation are groundless.
The proposal to ensure the legality and transparency of the use of the Lachin-Khankendi road, to prevent cases of its misuse, and, as part of these efforts, to establish a border checkpoint at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road is also emphasized. It is noted that Armenia's refusal of this proposal without any justification or reason indicates its disinterest in the transparency of the use of the Lachin-Khankendi road and its intention to continue the misuse of the road.
It is also noted in the letter that Armenia has not yet enforced the decision of the International Court of Justice of December 7, 2021. Thus, contrary to the court's decision, Armenia did not stop the propaganda of ethnic hatred and discrimination against Azerbaijan on its territory and did not eliminate such paramilitary groups as VoMA and POGA.
The text of the letter, published as a document of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, can be found here.