Azerbaijan, the Ambassador’s reply: “It is the Armenian side and its illegal regime in our country that prevents residents from moving”

ROME – By the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Rashad Aslanov, We have received this letter which clarifies your country’s position regarding one of our articles published on 24 January.

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Dear Editor

I write this, which I kindly ask for publication, in reply to the article dated January 24, 2023 “Nagorno Karabakh, thousands of Armenians are experiencing a serious humanitarian crisis due to the blockade of the Lachin corridor”. Unfortunately the article follows a wave of fake news and smear campaigns, which has been sweeping through my country in recent weeks.

The paper begins by talking about a conflict and an “increasingly complicated” peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, perhaps ignoring that the Patriotic War of autumn 2020, with the liberation of the territories of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years , ended the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Tripartite Declaration of November 2020, signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the Russian Federation, laid the foundations for what was to be a normalization for the whole region.

Again the article states that “Baku claims that Nagorno is part of Azerbaijan”, but it is not only Azerbaijan that claims that Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s, as much as the region’s history, toponyms and culture, documentation international, including four United Nations Security Council resolutions. Among other things, in the joint declarations adopted in Prague and Sochi in October 2022, Azerbaijan and Armenia officially recognized each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Coming to the events of the last few weeks, the 2020 Tripartite Declaration established that the Lachin road could only be used for humanitarian purposes. It is therefore not Azerbaijan that is violating the Declaration, but Armenia, which in the course of these two years has used the road for the illegal passage of armed forces, for the transport of anti-personnel mines (and in this regard it should be remembered that since In August 2022, more than 2700 landmines produced in Armenia in 2021 were detected in parts of Lachin and Kalbajar districts of Azerbaijan.

Evidently, all those mines were deployed on the territory of Azerbaijan through the Lachin road in flagrant violation of the Trilateral Declaration) and for the illicit trafficking of minerals and other resources from the territories of Azerbaijan, where the Russian security-keeping contingent is temporarily deployed peace. In relation to landmines, it would be useful to know some recent numbers: from November 2020 to 6 October 2022, following mine explosions, 44 people died and 213 were injured of varying severity. The total number of killed and wounded during this period was 257 people, including nine children and one woman. Three media representatives are also among the victims of the mine explosions.

Returning to the Lachin road, contrary to what the Armenian side claims, there is no blockade on the Azerbaijani side, and there is no ongoing humanitarian crisis. Peaceful demonstrations, which began on 12 December, are underway against the illegal exploitation of Azerbaijani resources. According to daily monitoring on Khankendi-Lachin highway, from 12 December to 15 January 2023, more than 1200 vehicles moved freely. Video footage spread in open sources confirms this. On average, 30 vehicles pass the road daily in both directions.

In fact, no local resident was prevented from passing along the road. ICRC vehicles carried out the evacuation of patients and the transport of medicines and food. However, Azerbaijan does not hide its concern that some people, who claim to be representatives of local Armenian residents, are intentionally preventing residents from using the road, with the sole aim of dramatizing the situation. It is the Armenian side and the illegal regime created in the territories of Azerbaijan that prevent the residents from moving.

While the way remains open for passage for humanitarian purposes, Azerbaijan has also taken the possible negative impact of the situation seriously. The Government of Azerbaijan is in close contact with the ICRC office in Khankendi and has confirmed its availability.

Concerning the decision of the EU Council to establish a civilian mission in Armenia, we remain of the firm position that this engagement must not be used to derail the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including in the context of the delimitation of borders which should be carried out exclusively on a bilateral basis. It must be ensured that the deployment of an EU mission in Armenia takes due account of Azerbaijan’s legitimate interests and that such engagement by the EU takes place in a way that does not undermine mutual trust.

The Azerbaijani side expects that in the process of deliberation on the EU mission, utmost care will be exercised to draw the necessary lessons from past experience. In fact, the presence of the EU’s monitoring unit in Armenia has coincided with growing attempts by Armenia to derail the normalization process in every respect, including derailing the trilateral meeting of Azerbaijan’s leaders , Armenia and the Council of the EU, with unfounded conditions. In a series of consultations held at various levels with EU representatives, Azerbaijan communicated that EU engagement in Armenia through a mission should not serve as a pretext for Armenia to shirk the fulfillment of its commitments .

I also take this opportunity to reiterate that Azerbaijan remains committed to regional peace, stability and development. The establishment of good neighborly relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia is a key to building a secure, stable and prosperous South Caucasus through genuine regional normalization.

It is Azerbaijan, which immediately after the end of the conflict, started the process of normalization of interstate relations with Armenia, on the basis of mutual recognition and respect for each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, within the their internationally recognized borders, including through the signing of a peace treaty based on these principles, delimitation and demarcation of state borders and the opening of all communications in the region. Instead of engaging in good faith negotiations on this basis, Armenia is opting for a campaign of deception and defamation.

Hoping to have clarified the current events, I take this opportunity to send my best regards,

Rashad Aslanov

Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan