Response by Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to the question of the local media on views expressed by the Prime Minister of Armenia during the Army Day

Question: On January 28, Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, during his speech on Army Day noted that they proposed to sign a mutual arms control mechanism and non-aggression pact with our country. How would you comment these views?

Answer: The statement of the Armenian Prime Minister aims to divert attention from the process on the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and the Establishment of Interstate Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Since the beginning of the negotiations on the draft Agreement, despite the calls from Azerbaijan to end the ongoing claims against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan within the Constitution of Armenia, in a number of decisions of the legislative body, as well as in appeals to various international courts, in official correspondence and in the letters distributed within international organizations following the 44-day Patriotic War, so far, Armenia has not taken any practical steps in this direction. In this regard, instead of moving forward with actions in this area, Armenia’s proposals with no practical importance lead to misunderstandings and are unacceptable.

It is well known that Armenia has been flagrantly violating international treaties to which Armenia itself is a party of and that recognize our territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as arms control mechanisms for almost 30 years, has engaged in aggression against Azerbaijan and has concealed the majority of its military hardware and weaponry from international arms control mechanisms by illegally deploying them in our territories.

Armenia’s claim that it takes the peace process seriously is political manipulation in light of the abovementioned facts, as well as Prime Minister Pashinyan’s statement regarding the severe militarization of his country, the recent signing of multibillion-dollar contracts for arms supply, and the expansion of the military industry. Such biased statements impede the further development and progress of the region on the basis of respect for the norms and principles of international law.

Azerbaijan will continue its peace and rehabilitation efforts and expects Armenia to take adequate steps not in words, but in deeds.