No:202/20, Comment by Leyla Abdullayeva, Head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Armenia, the country which pursues the aggressive and annexation policy, commits military provocations, targets civilians, as well as ignores international humanitarian law, violates the ceasefire in various directions of the front on a daily basis, bears direct responsibility for escalating tensions in the region, has no right to speak about either the observance of the ceasefire or refraining from provocative actions.

We remind that on July 12, 2020, the military provocation committed by the Armenian armed forces in the direction of the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan along the international border of the two countries was another pre-planned act of aggression. The entire responsibility for the attempt to use force lies in the political-military leadership of Armenia.

The policy and contradictory statements of the Armenian leadership aimed at deliberately violating the format and essence of the negotiation process clearly demonstrate that the country is trying to strengthen the status quo based on occupation. However, we would like to emphasize that the attempts of the aggressor Armenia to impose any conditions on the negotiations and to change the format of the negotiations are unacceptable.

We once again reiterate that the current status quo in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is unacceptable, as it poses a serious threat to regional peace and security. In order to change the status quo based on the occupation, Armenian troops must be withdrawn from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan in accordance with the requirements of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.