Joint press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense regarding new facts of illegal military activities and planning of other military crimes by Armenia exposed following the counter-terrorism measures in Garabagh region

On November 20, 2023, a joint press briefing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense regarding new facts of illegal military activities and planning of other military crimes by Armenia exposed following the counter-terrorism measures by the Armed Forces in Garabagh region was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The press briefing was attended by diplomatic corps accredited in the Republic of Azerbaijan, military attaches, as well as representatives of local and international media.

Aykhan Hajizada, Head of the Press Service Department, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan and Anar Eyvazov, Head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Defense delivered speeches.

During the speeches, it was recalled that for almost 30 years of Armenian occupation and the post-conflict period, Azerbaijan has regularly brought the presence of the Armenian armed forces threatening peace and security in the territories of Azerbaijan, as well as the landmine threat into the attention of the international community. Detection and removal of more than 10000 anti-personnel, 3000 anti-tank mines and up to 12000 unexploded devices as a result of the activities carried out by the engineer-sapper units of the Azerbaijan Army in our territories after the 44-day Patriotic War was noted.

It was mentioned that contrary to the norms of international law, as well as the provisions of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, Armenia has deployed a large amount of military equipment and ammunition in the region without informing international organizations, including the relevant UN and OSCE structures. It was emphasized that notwithstanding the calls of Azerbaijan to stop these violations, the indifference of the international community to this challenge has increased the tensions in the region.

At the same time, Azerbaijani territories were illegally used for activities such as re-modification and transfer of ammunition to foreign countries by Armenia. It was noted that Armenia continued to transfer weapons and equipment and newly produced landmines to our territories even in the post-conflict period until the establishment of a border checkpoint on the Lachin road. Moreover, civilian objects in the region, even the safety of aircrafts, as well as large-scale reconstruction activities were targeted.

On September 19-20, 2023, after counter-terrorism measures carried out for less than 24 hours, landmine clearance activities in the region, as well as the undertakings carried out by the Ministry of Defense with other relevant agencies in order to restore communication lines and new supply routes, once again demonstrated the scale of the terrible militarization in our territories. It was noted that as a result of the measures, military vehicles, various weapons, and ammunition were detected in our territories, a large part of which were placed in civilian infrastructures. In particular, it was noted that the “Kornet” and “Fagot” anti-tank guided missile systems, 2021-produced munitions for anti-tank guided missiles, and TOS-1A heavy flamethrower system missiles were exposed in the region. At the same time, information was provided about the activities carried out by Armenia in Khankandi over the past 30 years at a workshop engaged in the modification of military equipment and drones.

During the briefing, images were also presented demonstrating the scale of militarization in the region. Videos that were discovered after the counter-terrorism measures reflecting the training of civilians and military personnel with workshop-modified drones and the targeting of civilian objects in Azerbaijan were demonstrated.

The participants of the briefing got acquainted with samples of modified weapons, drones, 2021-produced ammunitions and landmines, confiscated from the territory following the counter-terrorism measures.