In response to the thoughts expressed by Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to the president of Azerbaijan, and head of the foreign policy department of the president's office, regarding the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, the negotiation process, and several other issues, the Artsakh MFA made a statement.
"The claims of the Azerbaijani side that the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict has been resolved and is no longer on the international agenda are untrue. The fact that the Azerbaijani-Karabakh dispute is not fixed and needs a comprehensive settlement has been repeatedly stated by representatives of individual states, including the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, as representatives of several international organizations.
In December 2022, the UN Security Council, which bears the main responsibprimaryy for maintaining international peace and security, discussed the situation related to the Lachin Corridor's blockade, refuting the claims of the Azerbaijani side that the issue of the conflict has left the international agenda. Official Baku's desire to legalize the results of the illegal use of force against the Republic of Artsakh and its people and present it as a solution to the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict is an attempt to return to the period when military force prevailed over international law.
We are sure that the comprehensive settlement of the conflict can be achieved only through negotiations and based on the norms and principles of international law. Rejecting the global dialogue mechanism with the official Stepanakert, Azerbaijan is trying to avoid implementing possible agreements. The international community's involvement in the dialogue between Artsakh and Azerbaijan is the only way to guarantee a comprehensive solution to the conflict.
The Artsakh side categorically rejects Azerbaijan's attempts to distort the essence of the conflict and present it as an internal problem. Against the background of the blockade of Artsakh lasting more than 90 days, it is evident that Azerbaijan aims to create conditions for carrying out free ethnic cleansing in Artsakh, excluding the intervention of the international community. For this reason, Azerbaijan opposes the involvement of the international community, including the sending of international missions to Artsakh, so that nothing and no one can prevent the implementation of its criminal plan to subject Artsakh to ethnic cleansing.
At the same time, the Azerbaijani side continues to make false accusations that Armenia has not fully withdrawn its armed forces and continues to supply Artsakh with arms and ammunition. Such claims are untrue and are intended to justify the blockade of the Lachine Corridor for more than 90 days.
Let us emphasize that the Republic of Artsakh has a Defense Army made up of residents, the presence of which does not contradict any provision of the Tripartite Declaration of November 9, 2020, and is the main guarantee of the security of the people of Artsakh. Azerbaijan's campaign against the Artsakh Defense Army is conditioned by the fact that Baku seeks to deprive Artsakh Armenians of the opportunity to resist the criminal programs of self-defense and ethnic cleansing.
Azerbaijan's claims that the Lachin Corridor is open are false. It should be noted that during the hearings of the International Court of Justice, Azerbaijan had the opportunity to present all its arguments regarding the situation related to blocking the Lachin Corridor. Still, after examining the parties' views in detail, the International Court of Justice obliged Azerbaijan to guarantee unhindered movement through the Lachin Corridor. We remind you again that the decisions of the International Court of Justice are legally binding."
