On 24 December, the Armenian Foreign Ministry responded to the speech of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during a meeting with Azerbaijani intellectuals of Armenian origin, in which he again spoke about Yerevan’s belonging to Azerbaijan. “The newly formed Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, with one of its first decisions in 1918, gifted Yerevan, one of our historic cities, to Armenia. That was an unforgivable step, it was treason and a crime”:
Aliyev also considered the fact that Zangezur remains within Armenia a crime committed against Azerbaijanis. “In 1920, by decision of the Soviet government, Zangezur was transferred to Armenia. The purpose of this was clear: to geographically separate Azerbaijan from Nakhichevan and Turkey,” Aliyev declared.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement, which reads as follows: “The remarks made today, on 24 December, during the meeting of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev with the so-called representatives of ‘Western Azerbaijan’ once again testify that the leadership of this state is in no way interested in establishing peace and stability in the South Caucasus. Moreover, the latter not only openly acknowledges the fact of the occupation (seizure) of the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia through the use of force, but also voices new territorial claims and threats of the use of force against the Republic of Armenia, displaying blatant contempt for both international law and international partners. The statements of the Azerbaijani leader, which contradict the agreements reached in Prague and Sochi this year, reflect the aspirations of the Azerbaijani leadership aimed at derailing the peace process. All the justifications voiced in the speech regarding the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor also have no connection with reality. These and other aggressive (offensive) actions previously carried out by Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are part of a consistent policy of subjecting the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic (tribal) cleansing. Once again emphasizing the Armenian side’s determination to build peace and stability in the region, we call on interested international partners, through targeted statements and targeted actions, to oblige Azerbaijan to cease its belligerent and expansionist rhetoric, to implement the commitments it has itself undertaken, to withdraw Azerbaijani troops from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, and to restore the normal functioning of the Lachin corridor”:
