Azerbaijani Diaspora Organizations Issue Statement On Situation Around Lachin Road

"We are extremely surprised and disappointed by the July 28, 2023 statement made by Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić regarding the issue of supplies for the Armenian residents in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. This statement goes against the purposes and principles outlined in the Council's Charter, the European convention on Human Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," the statement reads.

According to the Azerbaijani diaspora organizations, the claims that Armenians living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan are allegedly facing a "blockade" and a "humanitarian crisis" are unfounded and merely a part of Armenia's efforts to mislead the international public opinion.

As an example, after the Second Karabakh War in 2020, which lasted for 44 days and ended with Azerbaijan's historic victory, Azerbaijan, despite facing a 30-year occupation and enduring hardships for the Azerbaijani people, proposed fundamental principles and a peace treaty to normalize relations between the two countries. These principles were based on the mutual recognition and respect for each other's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and borders.

Despite the prolonged lack of response from the Armenian side to these peace initiatives and their use of various pretexts to stall the process, the Azerbaijani side has remained determined and continued to make sincere efforts towards achieving a peace treaty, delimitation of borders, and the opening of communications. The Azerbaijani authorities have taken consistent steps to engage in dialogue with the local Armenian residents of the Karabakh region. Notably, the construction of the new Lachin road was completed efficiently, and the road was promptly put into operation.

In contrast, the Armenian side proposed an unreasonable approach of "ensuring the rights and security of Karabakh Armenians through Baku-Khankendi negotiations within the framework of an international mechanism," which effectively hindered direct communication between Azerbaijan and the local Armenian residents while subtly maintaining territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

Furthermore, in violation of the trilateral agreement reached on November 10, 2020, Armenia failed to withdraw its armed forces from Azerbaijani territory and neglected to provide official maps of minefields to Baku. As a consequence, since November 2020, 303 Azerbaijanis, including two journalists, have tragically fallen victim to landmine explosions.

Azerbaijan has established the Lachin border crossing checkpoint within its sovereign territory with the objective of exercising border control and preventing illegal activities by Armenia. Despite ensuring the safe passage of Armenian residents, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the Russian peacekeeping forces through this checkpoint, the Armenian side has been spreading false information about a "dire humanitarian situation" in the region. These statements are used as a pretext to continue their illegal activities within Azerbaijan's territory.

Additionally, Armenia has engaged in various provocations, including firing at Azerbaijani border guards on June 15, attempting smuggling activities, and sending unauthorized trucks to Azerbaijan's territory on July 26.

Azerbaijan has made several proposals, including using the Aghdam-Khankendi road and other alternative routes, to address the needs of Armenian residents in the region. These proposals received support from the European Union and the ICRC. However, the Armenian side rejected these offers by installing concrete barriers on the alternative roads and obstructing access to the territory. This once again demonstrates that Armenia's claims regarding the humanitarian situation in the region are merely a form of political blackmail and manipulation.

According to Azerbaijani diaspora organizations, Armenia's objectives include drawing third parties into the region, escalating tensions geographically, and disrupting the ongoing peace process. The responsibility for all recent provocations is attributed to Armenia and its leadership, as they persist in maintaining an illegal military presence in Azerbaijani territories, fostering separatism, and obstructing efforts for reintegration.

The organizations demand that certain countries, which have turned a blind eye to the suffering of approximately one million Azerbaijanis forcibly expelled from Armenia and the occupied territories of Azerbaijan in the late 1980s and early 1990s, acknowledge the genocide that occurred in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly on February 26, 1992. They also urge these countries to acknowledge the fact that Armenia has kept Azerbaijani territories under occupation for 30 years and the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic under blockade for 32 years. Furthermore, they call attention to the ongoing presence of Armenian armed forces in Azerbaijani territory for the past three years and Armenia's obstruction of efforts to open communications.

The statement further emphasizes the importance of respecting Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity, urging these countries to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan and to put an end to the policy of double standards.

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