Baku, September 13, AZERTAC

“Allegations made by Anne-Claire Legendre, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France at the Q&A session of the press conference dated September 12, not serving peace and stability in the region, creating false impression on the current situation in the region and demonstrating one-sided pro-Armenian position, are unacceptable,” said spokesperson for Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Aykhan Hajizada as he commented on unfounded allegations made by the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.

“Republic of Azerbaijan has the right to move its forces in any direction for training purposes in its sovereign territories, as well as to ensure the security of its borders, and interference in these measures is unacceptable.

At the same time, these measures cannot put our country's commitment to the current peace agenda under question mark. Azerbaijan's commitment to the peace process is strong, and this position has been proven by consistent steps taken by us since November 2020. Our determination to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity is equally firm and determined.

We would like to remind that, in fact, the main source of threat in the region is the presence of the Armenian armed forces not withdrawing from the territory of Azerbaijan and directly supported by Armenia.

Coming to the unfounded claims of France on the alleged "blockade" and "humanitarian crisis" in the region, these allegations are a part of worldwide smear campaign of Armenia exploiting all opportunities to abuse the individual states and international organizations against Azerbaijan.

There should be no doubt that Armenia is trying to impose on the international community as a “humanitarian” matter, and in fact it is a political manipulation directed against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country.

Azerbaijan stated the possibility of using the Lachin-Khankendi and Aghdam-Khankendi roads and other possible roads to send cargo to the Garabagh region in compliance with the legislative requirements of Azerbaijan through the International Committee of the Red Cross. Despite the agreements reached in this direction after the Brussels meeting dated July 15, as well as in early August, and the support of the US and the EU to this process, gross violation of these agreements by Armenia and the puppet regime created by this country is well known to France.

We demand to put an end to such unfounded statements against Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity protected by international law, endangering the fragile normalization process in the region by France,” the MFA spokesperson emphasized.