BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 3. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov's letter, dated July 21, 2023, addressed to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, regarding the decision of the International Court on July 6, rejecting Armenia's request, has been circulated as an official document of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, Trend reports.
Azerbaijan's sovereign right to build a border crossing point on its territory was once again confirmed by the decision, which was unanimously taken in conjunction with the rejection of Armenia's appeal, according to the letter.
The letter also noted that Azerbaijan erected the Lachin border post on April 23, 2023, to stop Armenian abuses for military objectives, resource extraction from Azerbaijan, and the threat of mines.
The letter highlighted that, before to Armenia's provocative act on June 15, 2023, more than 2,000 Armenian residents had safely and transparently passed via this border crossing point.
The letter further pointed out that while Azerbaijan took the necessary steps to look into the circumstances surrounding the provocation that resulted in the injury of a member of the State Border Service, Armenia incorrectly referred to it as a "blockade".
The Lachin-Khankendi road is currently only used for medical purposes via the International Committee of the Red Cross, as stated in the letter, despite Azerbaijan's efforts to resolve the passage through the border crossing point. As a result, and despite Armenia's assurances that similar provocations would not recur, the Lachin-Khankendi road is currently only used for medical purposes.
The letter also pointed out that despite Azerbaijan's proposal to use the Aghdam-Khankendi road to provide sufficient provisions for Armenian residents, the Armenian side refused this offer.
The letter continued by stating that Armenia continues to deceive the international community with unfounded claims about an alleged "blockade of Armenian residents by the Azerbaijani side," in addition to placing restrictions on the use of the Lachin-Khankendi road and opposing the proposal to use the Aghdam-Khankendi road to meet the needs of Armenian residents.
The letter's conclusion underlined Azerbaijan's dedication to efforts to bring about peace and security in the area and, in particular, emphasized the significance of the international community pressuring Armenia to take a positive stance in the pursuit of lasting peace.
Armenia's plea, dated May 12, 2023, regarding the alleged "illegality" of the Lachin border crossing and the obligation to "withdraw all Azerbaijani Armed Forces from the Lachin-Khankendi road, was, however, denied by the UN International Court of Justice.
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 of November 10, 2020), and as an adequate response to the unilateral establishment of a border checkpoint by Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan on April 22, 2023 at the entrance to the Lachin-Khankendi road contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, on April 23 this year, 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.