Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan's statement made on social media regarding the establishment of a border checkpoint on the Lachin-Khankendi road is unacceptable. This is yet another attempt to interfere in Azerbaijan's internal affairs, and is not at all conducive to peace and tranquillity in the region.

Armenian officials as well as the Speaker of Parliament should refrain in their statements and utterances from attempting to manipulate the international community in a smear campaign against Azerbaijan, including by belying the well-known judgment of the International Court.

It should be emphasised that border security, including traffic security, is a necessary precondition for national security, state sovereignty and the rule of law. Preventing abuses and insuring border security against systematic and widespread illegal activities on the Lachin Road is a legitimate right of the Azerbaijani Government, the decision of which also aims to prevent illegal activities and facilitate orderly entry to and exit from the country.

The claims of the Armenian side that this decision allegedly contradicts the Trilateral Statement of 10 November by the leaders of Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation and Armenia are completely unfounded and far from the truth. It is Armenia which has been blatantly violating the provisions of the above-mentioned statement and has been using the Lachin Road for unlawful military purposes. Among other things, contrary to Paragraph 4 of the Trilateral Statement, the personnel of the Armenian armed formations remaining in the territory of Azerbaijan have been rotated, and weapons and ammunition have been transported via the road in question. The transportation of mines by the road and their subsequent planting within the sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan have caused particularly serious complications; a large number of our citizens has been killed and injured as a result of mine explosions.

Azerbaijan fully ensures the unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and humanitarian goods along the Lachin Road.

We call on the Armenian side to refrain from such actions that may increase the tensions in the region, not to obstruct the peace talks under various pretexts, and to assume a responsible approach to the efforts being made to establish relations with Azerbaijan on the basis of the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty of the countries.