The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan commented on the statements made by RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during his speech at the government session today.

"Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, in his speech at today's government session, speaking about the meeting at the level of leaders in Brussels, once again voiced the claims related to Lachin road, which he has been repeating for the last 8 months. With this, he showed the intention of the Armenian side to use this issue for political purposes, as well as to hinder the negotiations on the peace agreement, which have been progressing recently," the statement said.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Azerbaijan has repeatedly called on Armenia "to stop its illegal actions on the road to Lachin, but Armenia has ignored these calls," so Azerbaijan has established the Lachin border checkpoint and over the past few months "has ensured transparent and regular crossing of the border checkpoint by Armenian residents and trucks."

It is noted that the refusal of the Armenian side to use the Aghdam-Stepanakert road proves the groundlessness of the claims about the tense humanitarian situation in the region.

"The statements of the Armenian side that Azerbaijan is taking steps to carry out ethnic cleansing in the region are also wrong. Azerbaijan has never pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenian residents. The fact that the Prime Minister of Armenia recognizing Karabakh as the territory of Azerbaijan, instead of encouraging the reintegration of Armenian residents into Azerbaijan, proposes conditions for dialogue, is seen as a step against Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the statement said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan emphasizes that the Azerbaijani side is interested in establishing peace, stability, and security in the region and actively participates in the negotiation process. If the Armenian side is interested in peace, it should refrain from taking steps that hinder the peace process.