ArmInfo. The intention of the Armenian government to build a 150-kilometer road from Kapan to Hadrut (Nagorno-Karabakh) has angered and confused Baku.
Thus, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan hurried to make a statement in which it once again criticized the Armenian authorities and accused them of intent to strengthen the existing status quo. "The statement by a high-ranking official of Armenia on the construction of a new road called the" southern direction "along the "occupied territories of Azerbaijan" is another example of Armenia's true intention to consolidate the status quo based on "military occupation", undermine the settlement of the conflict through negotiations and annex the "occupied territories of Azerbaijan"," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan stated.
At the same time, Baku also assures that the "illegal" activities of Armenia in Artsakh, including infrastructural changes, indicate that its statements about the intention to resolve the conflict peacefully are nothing but "hypocrisy and misleading of the international community". As follows from the statement by the ministry, Baku is concerned that by building this road, Armenia will begin to enjoy the benefits of natural and other resources in these areas. <The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in- office should pay special attention to illegal activities in our "occupied territories" and to the serious damage to the negotiation process. Despite the favorable conditions for resolving the conflict, the continuation of illegal activities in a destructive manner under the cover of the cease-fire regime is another provocative attempt by Armenia to undermine the negotiation process. Therefore, the entire responsibility for the further development of the situation lies with the military-political leadership of Armenia. We strongly condemn the provocative actions of Armenia, which continues to commit illegal actions in the "occupied territories", grossly violating international obligations, and demand that the aggressor cease actions aimed at violating peace, security and stability in our region and withdraw its troops from the "occupied territories of Azerbaijan". Azerbaijan reserves the right to adequately respond to such provocations of the aggressor state, "the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stressed.
Earlier, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan, in an interview with the RFE/RL's Armenian editorial Service, stated that the Armenian government plans to build a 150- kilometer road from Kapan to Nagorno-Karabakh (to Hadrut) in 2020. Grigoryan said the decision has already been made. "I hope that by the end of the year we will summarize the discussions and we will have a roadmap to build this road," said Grigoryan. He added that it is planned to build a road in a short time – in 2020, there are funds for construction.