BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 22. The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan has rejected the absurd statements made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a government meeting on June 22 about the alleged implementation of an "illegal blockade" by Azerbaijan on the Lachin-Khankendi road "contrary to the decision of the International Court of Justice", Trend reports citing the ministry.
"We remind the Armenian side once again that, despite the creation of appropriate conditions at the Lachin border checkpoint for the transparent and safe passage of the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan's Karabakh region in both directions, and the passage of hundreds of Armenian residents through the checkpoint since its establishment, the provocation of the Armenian armed forces on 15 June created obstacles to the safe passage through the checkpoint," the ministry said.
"It's obvious that Armenia is concerned about the fact that it's deprived of the opportunity to continue its illegal activities through the Lachin-Khankendi road which was conducted since 2020, and also about the situation with the comfortable use of the checkpoint by the Armenian residents [of Karabakh]," the ministry noted.
According to the ministry, propaganda of Armenia about the alleged presence of a 'humanitarian crisis' in the region has no grounds.
"Another example of hypocrisy is the accusation against Azerbaijan of allegedly carrying out 'ethnic cleansing', voiced by Armenia, which during almost 30-year occupation of Azerbaijani lands targeted the civilian population of Azerbaijan, carried out ethnic cleansing of about one million Azerbaijanis, committed massacres, and now with its military provocations prevents their dignified and safe return to the native lands," the ministry added.
"In connection with the calls for the use of the 'international mechanism' in the dialogue with the Armenian residents of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and the solution of the issues of the 'rights and security' of the Armenian residents in this context, we once again emphasize that the dialogue with the Armenian residents, as well as ensuring the rights and freedoms of people living in territories of Azerbaijan within the framework of Azerbaijani legislation are an internal affair of Azerbaijan," the ministry said.
Besides, according to the ministry, Azerbaijan is determined to take the necessary measures for the reintegration of Armenian residents, and the invitation of Armenian residents to discuss this and other issues remains in force.
"The use of this issue by Armenia for manipulations as an element of its traditional aggressive policy and hinder the peace process is unacceptable. The statements voiced by the Armenian side against the sovereignty of Azerbaijan, as well as the military provocations carried out by it in the region, indicate that the statements of Armenia that it is "making every effort to establish peace" are far from sincerity," said the ministry.
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.
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.