BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 22. Propaganda of Armenia about the alleged presence of a 'humanitarian crisis' in the territory of functioning checkpoint, opened by Azerbaijan on the border with Armenia, has no grounds, Trend reports via the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.
The ministry made the remark commenting on statements of Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at today's meeting of the Armenian government.
According to the ministry, it's obvious that Armenia resorts to provocations after 2020 due to the fact that it's deprived of the opportunity to continue illegal activities through the Lachin-Khankendi road, and is also concerned about the situation with the comfortable use of the checkpoint by Armenian residents [of Azerbaijan's Karabakh].
"An 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 with its military provocations prevents their dignified and safe return to the native lands," the ministry added.
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other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren't withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the 2020 second Karabakh war), and as an adequate response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.