BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 16. Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has rejected the absurd statements made on June 16 by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a government meeting about the alleged creation of a "tense humanitarian situation", following the establishment of a checkpoint in Lachin by Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing the ministry.
The ministry also resolutely rejected Pashinyan's statements that Azerbaijan allegedly "impedes the provision of Armenian residents with everyday goods and medical products", "pursues a policy of ethnic cleansing", and his statements about the alleged "provocations of Azerbaijan" in the border areas.
"Once again, we want to remind that Armenia's any interference in the establishment of a border checkpoint by Azerbaijan on its own sovereign territory is a claim to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and such actions are contrary to all norms and principles of international law," the ministry said. "It seems that Armenia, which committed aggression against Azerbaijan and kept our lands under occupation for almost 30 years, is concerned that since the establishment of this checkpoint, it has been unable to take further aggravating steps and engage in illegal activities using this road."
According to the ministry, appropriate conditions exist for the transparent, safe and orderly travel of the Armenian residents of Karabakh in both directions, and hundreds of residents have freely used this road since the establishment of the checkpoint.
"The purpose of the provocation committed by Armenia on June 15 against this checkpoint and our border guards is to cast a shadow on the successful operation of the checkpoint and prevent its safe and free use," the ministry noted.
Besides, the ministry noted that it's unacceptable to regard as a "blockade" the adoption of appropriate measures by Azerbaijan to ensure security at the checkpoint and the passage through it after the attack, during which a serviceman of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan was injured.
"We demand from Armenia, which is voicing unfounded statements, to refrain from committing provocations, to take a responsible and constructive approach to the negotiations on a peace agreement and the issue of opening communications in the region, to comply with the obligations arising from the trilateral statement [signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war], including the complete withdrawal of Armenian forces from the territories of Azerbaijan, to refrain from taking steps against territorial integrity and sovereignty of our country," the ministry concluded.
On June 15, 2023, at 08:45 (GMT +4), as a result of opening fire from the territory of Armenia, a serviceman of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan Elshan Rustamov, who served at the Lachin border checkpoint, was injured.
The Armenian armed forces' firing point was suppressed by return fire, the combat situation is under the control of Azerbaijani units.
In order to prevent the transportation of manpower, ammunition, mines, as well as other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan, and as an adequate response to the unilateral establishment of a checkpoint by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan on April 22 at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April 23 at 12:00 (GMT+4), the units of the State Border Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan set up a border checkpoint in its sovereign territories, on the border with Armenia, at the beginning of the Lachin-Khankendi road.