BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 20. We urge the Armenian side to stop politicizing humanitarian issues in Azerbaijan's Karabakh and not to impede delivery to the Armenian residents living there via the Aghdam-Khankendi road, Permanent Representative of Azerbaijan to the OSCE Rovshan Sadigbayli said at a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in response to the speech of Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Trend reports.
"Armenia's allegations of the so-called "blockade" on the Lachin road have been baseless from the very beginning. So, all calls on the of the Lachin road and ensuring humanitarian deliveries should be directed at Armenia. It is Armenia that impedes the normal regulated passage through the road either by provocations or smear campaign," he said.
As Sadigbayli rightly pointed out, the recent ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) of 6 July 2023, essentially rejected allegations of Armenia with regard to the establishment of the checkpoint by Azerbaijan at the border.
"To be clear: Azerbaijan has acted within its sovereign right to install this checkpoint at the border. With regard to the calls concerning rights and security of the Armenian residents of Azerbaijan, as we have stated on numerous occasions, Azerbaijan is resolute to reintegrate its citizens of Armenian origin into its political, social, and economic space in accordance with the legislation and Constitution of Azerbaijan, guaranteeing equal rights to all of its citizens regardless of their national or ethnic origin," he added.
Moreover, the Azerbaijani Government has appointed a Special Representative for the dialogue with local Armenian residents with a view to discussing issues pertinent to their reintegration.
"Following the first meeting between the Special Representative and local Armenians, the Armenian side has blocked the next round of discussions in Baku by putting forward irrelevant preconditions. It is important to highlight that Azerbaijan took the initiative to launch such a dialogue and demonstrated genuine commitment to achieving tangible results by expressing its willingness to host additional meetings. These goodwill gestures should be reciprocated and not exploited," Sadigbayli noted.