Baku, March 19, AZERTAC
“It is crystal clear that Armenia, which has resorted to so-called "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" tales to divert attention from these peace threatening steps, is looking for further provocations to convince the international community of its false claims,” said head of the Press Service Department of Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry Aykhan Hajizada as he commented on anti-Azerbaijani statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia dated March 18.
“The cruelty with which Armenia committed mass killings against Azerbaijanis, killed 613 civilians in one night in Khojaly and committed acts of genocide are also well known. The facts that about 4,000 Azerbaijanis have gone missing as a result of the policy of aggression against Azerbaijan, that Armenia has refused to provide information on the missing persons, and that a number of mass graves have been discovered in the territories of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation are impossible to deny. Despite such an aggressive policy of Armenia, Azerbaijan released many detainees, conducted searches after the 2020 war, and handed over more than 1,700 Armenian bodies to Armenia, as well as nearly 200 bodies as a result of Armenian provocation in September 2022. It seems that Armenia has forgotten these measures taken by Azerbaijan for humanitarian purposes in good will and on a unilateral basis,” Hajizada noted.
“Once again, we call on the political leadership of Armenia to act responsibly, to refrain from provocations, statements, and false rhetoric that undermine the opportunities for peace created in the region after the 44-day war,” the MFA spokesperson emphasized.