BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 16. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan demands that Armenia, which is voicing unfounded statements, refrain from committing provocations, responsibly and constructively approach negotiations on a peace agreement and the issue of opening communications in the region, comply with the obligations arising from the trilateral statement, including the complete withdrawal of Armenian forces from the territories of Azerbaijan, Trend reports citing the ministry.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated at a government meeting that Azerbaijan's opening of the Lachin checkpoint allegedly created a "tense humanitarian situation", that Azerbaijan allegedly "hinders the provision of daily goods and medical products to Armenian residents", "pursues a policy of ethnic cleansing", "carries out provocations in the border territories" on June 16.
“We categorically reject these absurd statements of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan," the ministry said.
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other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren't withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 Second Karabakh War), and as an adequate response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.