13:15, 13 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has serious concerns that Azerbaijan could be preparing the ground for new aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia said in a statement on June 13.
Below is the full statement released by the foreign ministry.
“For a long time, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has been spreading daily fake news about ceasefire violations by the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh in the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.
It is noteworthy that in the information materials published by the Russian peacekeepers, ceasefire violations only by Azerbaijan were recorded.
Taking into account the already well established experience of Azerbaijan to provide "informational support" before carrying out the next acts of use of force and to artificially ascribe responsibility for future actions to the other party from the outset, the Republic of Armenia has serious concerns that the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan, despite all its own obligations, is preparing the ground for another aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.
We call on the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation to strictly follow the observance of the ceasefire regime and investigate all the incidents voiced by Azerbaijan, publicly presenting the entire situation on the ground.
At the same time, the Republic of Armenia reiterates its position on the necessity to send an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh, which can also provide reliable and unbiased information both about the situation in the line of contact between the sides and about the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, the latter resulting from Azerbaijan’s disruption of the functioning of the Lachin corridor through setting up an illegal checkpoint in violation of the regime established under November 9, 2020 Statement, blocking natural gas and electricity supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh as well as targeting by the Azerbaijani servicemen of citizens carrying out agricultural works and their machinery.
The Republic of Armenia is convinced that addressing the issues of rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework of an international mechanism through the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue is urgent and should not be delayed, and calls on the international community to support this process.”