RA MFA Press Spokesman answered the following question from the “Azatutyun” radio station, “Azerbaijan’s permanent representative at the UN recently put forward eight preconditions, including the withdrawal of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh, the liberation of eight occupied villages of Azerbaijan, the abandonment of territorial claims against Azerbaijan, which Armenia should implement to improve relations with Azerbaijan. What do you have to say about this?”
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson answered, “First of all, it should be noted that the fictitious speeches and demands of the Azerbaijani side are changing daily. Not only the Republic of Armenia but also the entire international community, it is already difficult to follow the speculations of the Azerbaijani side.
An example of what was said is the Azerbaijani talk about blocking the Lachin Corridor. On December 12 last year, Azerbaijan first announced that the corridor was not closed. The hall was completed by so-called “environmental activists,” then when it was announced that the mine in question had stopped its activities, “eco-activists.” “the speakers demanded that they inspect the Red Cross vehicles and humanitarian cargo passing through the corridor. Subsequently, these actions began to be justified by the fictitious transfer of mines; then, after the judgment of the International Court of Justice, they again began to declare that the corridor was open, and already on April 23, taking steps to install a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor in flagrant violation of the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020. showed the real purpose of the stage organized at the state level for months.
Returning to the original question, it should be emphasized that the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia carry out their service exclusively in the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia. It is known that since the 1990s, to defend against the aggression carried out by Azerbaijan and to prevent mass violence against the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenians of Artsakh formed a defense army, which is still performing its service today, despite the implementation of the mentioned operations planned by Azerbaijan almost decades ago. in order not to give. The Defense Army was and remains relevant only through the policy of ethnic cleansing carried out by Azerbaijan, including physical and psychological intimidation of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, murders, systematic violations of the ceasefire regime, blocking of the Lachin Corridor, disruption of food and medicine supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh, disruption of gas and electricity supplies. :
As for the eight villages raised by Azerbaijan at different levels, refreshing the memory of the Azerbaijani side, it should be noted that back in the 1990s, Azerbaijan occupied the arable lands of Artsvashen, Vazashen, and Aygehovit villages of Tavush region, 70 percent of the arable lands of Berkaber and Paravakar villages, and already 150 more square kilometers as a result of the renewed aggression after the 44-day war. Surprisingly, the occupation of territories by Armenia is discussed by officials of a country whose top leadership openly presents territorial claims to the sovereign parts of Armenia, sometimes also declaring that the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan does not exist. Therefore it is not violated by the advance of its armed forces. More than once, the president of Azerbaijan has openly admitted the occupation of RA territories, threatening to occupy new parts through force in case of non-fulfillment of his most pious demands.
Regrettably, Armenia’s appeals to Azerbaijan to respect the borderline recognized by both countries as early as the Alma-Ata Declaration and to present legal justifications regarding some of the mentioned villages remained unanswered. Moreover, the proposal of the Armenian side regarding the mirror withdrawal of troops from the borderline of 1975, which would contribute to reducing the border tension and addressing several existing problems, remained unanswered.
Armenia is convinced that it is possible to solve all problems only through constructive dialogue, and the policy pursued by Azerbaijan does not contribute to reducing tension and establishing peace in the region.”
