Comments of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan in response to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia dated January 9, 2021

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan considers the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia dated January 9, 2021 as completely unfounded and rejects the allegations contained in that statement.

We remind that as a result of a joint operation carried out by the State Security Service and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a group of 62 Armenian terrorist-saboteurs purposefully deployed by Armenia in the liberated territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan was detained and handed over for investigation.

All the detainees were called up from the Shirak region of Armenia to serve in the Armenian armed forces and were deployed in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism against the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and civilians.

The investigation revealed that the members of the Armenian terrorist-sabotage group were sent to Azerbaijan on November 26, 2020, that is, after the entry into force of the ceasefire reached by the trilateral statement signed by the Presidents of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Russian Federation and the Prime Minister of Armenia.

The group committed terrorist acts against the Azerbaijani servicemen and civilians, as a result of which the military personnel of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and civilians were killed and wounded.

Since the members of the sabotage group were sent to Azerbaijan with the aim of engaging in sabotage and terrorist activities in the period after the ceasefire, these persons are not considered prisoners of war in accordance with international humanitarian law and are liable under the criminal law of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

This purposeful provocative activity of the Armenian side is a gross violation of international law, international humanitarian law and the trilateral statement, as well as a clear demonstration of the continuation of the aggressive policy by this country against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Republic of Azerbaijan is committed to its obligations arising from the trilateral statement signed on November 10 and established by international law and fully fulfills these obligations. At the same time, the Azerbaijani side calls on Armenia to fulfill its obligations under the trilateral statement, to observe the ceasefire and to end provocative military activities against Azerbaijan.