Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has firmly responded to
US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs Yuri Kim, following her statements at the Senate,
Azernews reports.
“The fact that the initiator and organizer of these hearings are
Robert Menendez, a pro-Armenian Senator who is notable by a
traditional enmity towards our country is well-known. This person’s
engagement with anti-Azerbaijani activities is based on false
claims of radical representatives of the Armenian diaspora while
the aforementioned Senator is charged with corruption and the
investigation process is underway, once again proving that
political morals means nothing to him at all.
Coming to the allegations made by Yuri Kim, US Acting Assistant
Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs not reflecting
the current situation and realities in the post-conflict situation
in the region are just disappointing.
These claims not only contradict the agreement on the
simultaneous use of the Aghdam-Khankendi and Lachin-Khankendi roads
agreed during the contacts between Ilham Aliyev, President of the
Republic of Azerbaijan, and Anthony Blinken, US Secretary of State
dated September 1, 2023, but also, unfortunately, contain elements
of Armenia’s worldwide smear campaign against Azerbaijan.
Non-observance of this agreement, which is also intended to be
implemented through the mediation of the US side, by Armenia and
the so-called regime created by it, and groundless claims on the
“blockade and humanitarian situation” are well-known to the US.
We would like to remind Ms. Kim, who claims that the war between
Armenia and Azerbaijan is not over, Azerbaijan has proposed peace
to Armenia based on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of
both states following the Trilateral Statement signed on November
10, 2020. Bilateral negotiations on a peace treaty initiated by
Azerbaijan and supported by international partners, including the
United States, is a fundamental process of the post-war and
post-conflict periods.
Although the war and conflict are over, unfortunately hindering
peace and stability in the region, the imitation of negotiations
and the continuous military-political provocations of Armenia, as
it was during the almost 30-year occupation, have not ceased. In
this regard, instead of denying the historical opportunity after 30
years of the conflict, we believe that ending provocations
committed by Armenia and, most importantly, demanding the immediate
withdrawal of Armenian armed forces, which have not yet left the
territories of Azerbaijan is critical and fair, and we call on the
US side to act based on this position.
Referring to the notion of rights and security of “the Armenian
people of Nagorno-Karabakh” while talking about the Armenian
residents living in the Garabagh region within the peace treaty,
containing the terminology purposefully used by Armenia to promote
separatism in our territories, is against our territorial integrity
and sovereignty. At the same time, this reference is disrespectful
to the rights of Azerbaijanis expelled from this region as a result
of Armenia’s policy and action of ethnic cleansing and genocide. We
would like to remind the US side that the Armenian residents
currently living in the Garabagh region do not represent all
segments of the population of this region.
In connection with the allegation of “military attack”, while
noting that, unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan has never used force
against the civilian population, on the contrary, we declared
measures to be taken to reintegrate Armenian residents into our
society at the national level, and despite the obstacles put by
Armenia and its puppet regime, we are determined in this direction.
The reintegration process is an internal affair of our country, and
interference in that regard is unacceptable.
We advise the international community, including the US side not
to be a part of such steps that contribute to instability in the
region, and not to follow baseless smear campaign of Armenia,” the
ministry said in a statement.
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