Azerbaijan rebuffs Armenia over criticism of Karabakh counter-terrorism operation

By Anadolu Staff

ANKARA (AA) — Azerbaijan on Thursday slammed neighboring Armenia's criticism of anti-terror operation that Baku conducted in the Karabakh region a year ago that led to full restoration of sovereignty in the region.

Criticizing an earlier statement by Yerevan labelling the operation an attack on the region and "ethnic cleansing," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said such comments were "unacceptable."

In a statement, he said the "local counter-terrorism measures" in Nagorno-Karabakh were aimed at "disarming and completely forcing out the remnants of the armed forces of Armenia from the Karabakh economic region of our country, and restoring the sovereignty and constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan in those territories."

"Despite presenting itself as a peaceful country, Armenia’s calling Garabagh, the ancient and eternal land of Azerbaijan, with fictional names such as 'Nagorno-Karabakh' is a clear example of disrespect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," Hajizada added.

He asserted that the measures, carried out on Sept. 19-20 last year, were "in full compliance with international law, including international humanitarian law."

"Azerbaijan's restoration of sovereignty over its lands, in addition to constituting one of the most glorious pages of our history, is a triumph of international law and justice," said the official.

He emphasized that Armenia was supporting separatist forces on Azerbaijani territory by providing them with arms and ammunition.

"Armenia, which continued landmine terror against our country, even further expanded this threat over time. Armenia's officials were propagating the puppet regime they kept in our territories by all means, and the Prime Minister of Armenia congratulated the separatist regime on the so-called 'independence' on 2 September 2023," said Hajizada.

After the operation, he noted, Baku invited the Armenian population of Karabakh to take part in a "reintegration program." However, they decided to leave the territories of Azerbaijan instead, he said.

"It was their free choice, and to label it as an 'ethnic cleansing' shows the hypocrisy of Armenia, which has mass-evicted Azerbaijanis from Armenia and occupied Azerbaijani territories, committing genocide and massacres," he said.

With the complete restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and state sovereignty, a historic opportunity has emerged for the normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and consequently for the signing of a final peace agreement, added Hajizada.

"Thus, while Azerbaijan is the initiator of the peace process for the sake of the security and progress of our region and has been making genuine efforts in this direction, maintaining claims against the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan in the Armenian Constitution and other legislative acts is unacceptable, and for the historical peace opportunity not to be missed by Armenia necessary and adequate measures must be taken as soon as possible to eliminate the mentioned claims," he added.

"On this historically important day for the people and state of Azerbaijan, we once again commemorate with deep respect the dear memory of sons and daughters of the homeland who sacrificed their lives for the independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty of Azerbaijan," he said.

- History of rocky ties

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and the demarcation of their border.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh following an "anti-terrorist operation" after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.