«Baku assumes that Armenia either does not understand the essence of the November 9, 2020 declaration, or was never intent on fulfilling its demands»:
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has responded to yesterday’s statement by Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, insisting that the Armenian side is trying to evade its assumed obligations:
«We draw the attention of Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the fact that the November 9, 2020 trilateral declaration states that “the parties stop at their occupied positions.” It must be emphasised that “to stop” does not mean “to remain.” This is so both in Russian, in which the declaration was drawn up, and in other languages», the Azerbaijani foreign ministry has insisted.
In addition, Azerbaijan’s MFA noted that, according to point 3 of the trilateral declaration, «Russian peacekeepers are deployed along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor». Point 4 stipulates that «in parallel with the deployment of Russian peacekeeping forces, the Armenian armed forces must withdraw»:
Point 6 stipulates that «Azerbaijan guarantees the movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions»:
Thus, according to Azerbaijan’s MFA, «the trilateral declaration clearly states that Armenian armed units withdraw from Azerbaijan’s territory, and their transfer and deployment are not envisaged under any circumstances»:
Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry has insisted that «the Armenian side either does not understand the essence of the signed document, or was never intent on fulfilling its demands in full»:
«Such a stance testifies to that country’s destructive position», the statement of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Azerbaijan’s claims that the November 9 trilateral declaration stipulates the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Nagorno-Karabakh is an outright falsehood, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared.
«In recent days, Azerbaijan’s armed forces have intensified their provocative actions against both the units of Armenia’s armed forces and the units of the Artsakh Defense Army. Populated areas of the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh have also been targeted. The Azerbaijani side is trying to conceal its offensive actions by, on the one hand, accusing the Armenian side of violations of the November 9 trilateral declaration, and on the other hand, openly distorting that very same November 9 declaration», the MFA statement said.
Armenia’s MFA noted that the first point of the November 9 declaration clearly stipulates: «…the parties stop at their occupied positions». «Whereas Azerbaijani forces, one month after the signing of the declaration, launched an attack in the direction of the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the Hadrut region of Artsakh, as a result of which they seized those populated areas, killed and took captive Armenian servicemen. At present, the Azerbaijani side is likewise trying to occupy new positions in various sections of the line of contact, targeting Armenian position-holders with various weapons, including unmanned aerial vehicles», the statement noted.
In the created situation, the Artsakh Defense Army, according to the MFA, today as well, together with the Russian Federation’s peacekeepers, ensures the security and right to life of the people of Artsakh: «Without the Defense Army, the people of Artsakh cannot survive in their historic homeland, and the scenario of withdrawing the Defense Army from Artsakh is a scenario of depopulating Artsakh».
