Senate hearings and Kim`s statements are based on false narratives – A.Hajizade

Baku/15.09.23 /Turan: The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry declared the inconsistency of the statements made on September 14 at the hearings in the US Senate.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayhan Hajizade commented on the statements of US Assistant Secretary of State Yuri Kim that the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is still not over, the "blockade" of the Lachin road, the "inadmissibility of a military attack on the people of Nagorno-Karabakh", the need to include their "rights and security" in the future peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Hajizade noted that the initiator and organizer of the hearings was pro-Armenian Senator Bob Menendez, who is distinguished by hostility to Azerbaijan. The continuation of anti-Azerbaijani activities based on false narratives of the radical part of the Armenian diaspora, when corruption charges are brought against him, shows how far he is from the rules of political ethics.

As for the statements of US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim, they do not reflect the current situation and realities in the region and cause regret, Hajizade said.

These statements contradict the agreement reached during a telephone conversation on September 1 between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on the simultaneous use of the Aghdam-Khankyandi and Lachin-Khankyandi roads. The American side is well aware that this agreement was violated by Armenia.

"I would like to remind Mrs. Kim, who claims that the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not over, that after the signing of the Trilateral Statement on November 10, 2020, we offered the opposite side peace based on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the parties."

Azerbaijan considers it important and fair to demand the cessation of provocations by Armenia and the immediate withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territory of Azerbaijan, and calls on the American side to support this position.

Hajizade called the American diplomat's expressions that "the rights and security of the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh" should be reflected in the peace agreement"inappropriate.

This statement contradicts the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, as it contains terminology purposefully used by Armenia, encouraging separatism in the Azerbaijani territories.

Azerbaijan has never used force against civilians. On the contrary, it is taking steps to reintegrate Armenian residents. "The reintegration process is an internal matter of our country, and interference in our internal affairs is unacceptable," Hajizade stressed. He called on the American side and other representatives of the international community not to follow the slanderous narratives of Armenia and refrain from steps that do not contribute to stability in the region. ---06B---