On August 15, Speaker of the Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova, the Heads of Milli Majlis Working Groups on inter-parliamentary relations and Leaders of the Azerbaijani delegations to interparliamentary organisations released a statement in connexion with Armenia's attempts to manipulate the international public and confuse them with regards to that part of the Garabagh Region of Azerbaijan where the Russian peacekeeping contingent are stationed temporarily. This statement is addressed to the heads of parliamentary organisations and foreign parliaments.

The appeal reiterates Azerbaijan's commitment to international humanitarian law and human rights law. Armenia's unfounded claims of a ‘blockade’ or a ‘humanitarian crisis’ are categorically rejected. It is also pointed out that this is a clear manifestation of Armenia's expansive propaganda campaign against Azerbaijan.

It is further noted that the Garabagh Region is Azerbaijani territory recognised as such internationally and that the ethnic Armenians living there happen to be citizens of Azerbaijan. The oft-used name of this region – ‘Nagorno Karabakh’ - contradicts the territorial integrity, sovereignty and national legislation of Azerbaijan as much as it does the UN normative framework concerning the use of geographical names.

As regards the so-called ‘Lachin Corridor’, which has no extraterritorial status and is within the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, our country has allowed transportation along this route in view of the adherence to the national commitments set out in the Trilateral Statement of 10 November 2020. However, Armenia has consistently and openly abused this route, which is intended only for humanitarian purposes, for such illegal military and other activities as the rotation of some 10,000 armed group personnel present on Azerbaijani territory unlawfully, weapons, ammunition and mines deliveries to there and the illegal extraction of mineral resources within that territory with their subsequent exportation.

Furthermore, it is stated in the international address that Azerbaijan established a border checkpoint at the beginning of the Lachin Road on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border on 23 April 2023 exercising her legitimate right to protect her sovereignty and security, which undertaking had been brought about by the liberal abuse of this road by Armenia as noted above.

Unable to come to terms with the reality of the forces not fully withdrawn from the Azerbaijani territory yet as well as cut off the lines of illegal exportation of Azerbaijan's natural resources, Armenia elected to embark on a campaign of manipulation and confusion that targeted the international community.

It is noteworthy that, despite Armenia's attempts to outlaw Azerbaijan’s the Lachin border crossing point, the International Court of Justice (IUCN) unanimously and decisively rejected Armenia's appeal to remove Azerbaijani personnel from the road by its decision of 6 July 2023, thus dismissing the Armenian arguments that the crossing point impeded the movement of traffic on the said road.

Further, the appeal notes that after the establishment of the border checkpoint the civilian population flow from the Garabagh Region of Azerbaijan to Armenia has increased significantly with more than 2,000 people having passed through the checkpoint by 15 June this year. On the same day, Armenian armed forces raided Azerbaijani border guards and the Russian peacekeepers alike, and an Azerbaijani border guard was seriously wounded as a result. That attack was not only aimed at the Azerbaijani border guards but also posed a direct threat to the staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the civilians passing through the checkpoint. And this armed provocation took place while the ICRC was escorting a group of Armenian residents travelling from the Garabagh Region to Armenia to medical ends. The purpose of the attack was to disrupt the normal functioning of both the road and the Lachin checkpoint.

 Pedalling the false allegation that Azerbaijan deliberately blocked the Lachin Road, Armenia refuses to guarantee that there will be no future incidents of a similar nature, thus effectively preventing the full restoration of the border crossing point.

As emphasised in the appeal, Azerbaijan, for its part, has repeatedly called on Armenia to co-operate in the facilitation of unimpeded and safe cross-border movement of people as well civilian goods and services across the border and via the customs, albeit it must be said that those appeals have so far remained unanswered by Armenia.

Despite Armenia's persistence and reckless attempts to use the ICRC convoys to smuggle certain dual-use goods to equip the illegal armed groups in Azerbaijan, our country continues enabling the passage of local Armenian residents to Armenia where they receive medical care. As for the smuggling, these brazen acts detrimental to the ICRC’ humanitarian mandate and denigrating of its reputation have been openly acknowledged as such by the organisation.

Against the backdrop of Armenian intransigence, Azerbaijan has intensified its co-operation with the ICRC to use alternative and shorter routes, such as the Northern Route via Aghdam to Khankendi, to transport humanitarian supplies from its other regions to the Garabagh Region.

In his public statement made following the meeting in Brussels between President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan, President of the Council of the European Union Charles Michel encouraged the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi route as an important component in ensuring that the basic needs of the people of Garabagh are adequately met.  

It is also noted that after a series of intensive consultations and shuttle diplomacy efforts, an agreement was finally reached on the delivery of humanitarian supplies to Garabagh by various routes, as well as on the organisation of a meeting between the special representative of Azerbaijan and representatives of the local Armenian community.

In the first case, it was necessary to remove the concrete slabs and all the other physical obstacles that the Armenian side had installed to obstruct the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road. That had to be done to allow the delivery of the ICRC humanitarian supplies to meet the needs of the locals. Thereafter, within 24 hours, the ICRC was to increase the use of the Lachin Road. All parties involved, including the Russian peacekeeping contingent and the ICRC, were ready to implement this agreement practically.

In the second case, an agreement was reached to hold a meeting of the special envoy of Azerbaijan and representatives of local Armenian residents in the Azerbaijani town of Yevlakh.

Unfortunately, guided by revanchist sentiments and evading its obligations within the framework of the normalisation process, Armenia backed out of both agreements at the last moment at the behest of the puppet regime established on 5 August 2023, and proceeded to put forward politically motivated and illegal preconditions and various excuses.

Rather than being part of a solution, Armenia prefers to inflame fictive tensions and to make increasingly frequent attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan, propagate ethnic hatred, falsify facts, disseminate misleading information and insinuate the existence of a ‘blockade’ and a ‘humanitarian crisis’. To this end, Armenia has made consistent efforts to manipulate the international community and, in parallel, has engaged in political and military activities of a provocative nature on the ground.

At the same time, Armenia's repeated pattern of unconstructive behaviour hinders Azerbaijan's attempts to reintegrate the ethnic Armenians of the Garabagh Region as equal Azerbaijani citizens. The Government of Azerbaijan is ready to ensure the well-being of ethnic Armenians living within its borders and to protect all their respective rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of Azerbaijan and international instruments to which Azerbaijan has acceded. In this regard, Azerbaijan has on several occasions declared its readiness to hold meetings with local Armenians living in the Garabagh Region.

It is particularly important to stress that Armenia's consistent provocations were committed at a time when there was a historic opportunity for the normalisation of relations between the two countries. In recent months, Azerbaijan, with the active participation of international partners, has contributed to a significant intensification of the normalisation process. Diplomatic dialogues have played an important role in narrowing differences and achieving notable progress in several articles of the future bilateral agreement aimed at establishing lasting peace and interstate relations.

Therefore, at this critical juncture, the international community must reject Armenia's attempts to manipulate and misinform it. Instead of further emboldening Armenia, the international community should compel it to cease actions that violate Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, refrain from interfering in Azerbaijan's internal affairs, and engage in good faith in post-conflict normalisation negotiations.

It is extremely important that Armenia refrain from using international platforms and institutions to repeatedly violate the already fragile conditions of peace in the region.

At the end of the address, the Azerbaijani parliamentarians express their hope that their foreign colleagues will demonstrate an impartial and fair position, reject Armenia's propaganda and act objectively, following the truth and international law.

The Press and Public Relations Department  
The Milli Majlis