BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 15. Claims of "ethnic cleansing" against Armenian residents of Azerbaijan's Karabakh are unfounded, Ambassador to Israel Mukhtar Mammadov wrote on his page on X (Twitter), Trend reports.
According to Mammadov, the Armenian residents of Karabakh have repeatedly refused to use the rebuilt Aghdam-Khankendi road, and the road was even blocked on the order of their 'leaders'.
Moreover, a proposal by Baku to have supplies convoyed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) using the Aghdam-Khankendi road was rejected, the ambassador emphasized.
"Even proposals just to have a dialogue about it were rejected," he 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other military equipment from Armenia for illegal Armenian armed groups on the territory of Azerbaijan (which weren't withdrawn contrary to the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020 signed by Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders following the second Karabakh war), and as an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.
Despite Azerbaijan ensuring the passage of Armenian citizens, ICRC representatives, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent through the border crossing (temporarily stationed in Azerbaijan under the trilateral statement), the Armenian side spread rumors about the alleged "tense humanitarian situation" in the area in order to carry out its illegal activities in Azerbaijani territory.
At the same time, the Armenian side engaged in provocations, including shelling Azerbaijani border guards on June 15 and attempting to smuggle vehicles into Azerbaijani territory without authorization on July 26.