Azerbaijan says Armenia’s exploitation of UN Security Council ‘counter-productive, utterly destructive’

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijan said early Thursday that Armenia’s manipulation and exploitation of the UN Security Council is “counter-productive and utterly destructive” in terms of taking the process of normalization between Baku and Yerevan forward.

“Armenia’s attempt to instrumentalize the UN Security Council in its campaign of blackmailing failed for yet another time,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement following a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Lachin road.

The statement said it hoped Armenia realizes that the solution to regional issues lied in “constructive engagement and good-faith implementation of international law, and commitments undertaken within this framework.”

It further said that the basis for peace and stability in the region is “a recognition of sovereignty and territorial integrity both in words and deeds” as emphasized by numerous UN Security Council members during the meeting.

It expressed Azerbaijan’s appreciation of the statements made by several Security Council members, as well as Türkiye, on the need for such dialogue and engagement regarding the opening of routes proposed by Azerbaijan, especially the Aghdam-Khankendi road, to deliver goods to meet the needs of Armenian residents of the Karabakh region.

It added that the meeting confirmed that Azerbaijan’s proposal on the use of the Aghdam-Khankendi road was received positively and Armenia’s obstructions in this regard need to be abandoned.

“Moreover, acknowledgment of legitimate security concerns of Azerbaijan by some member states is a promising step toward overcoming certain challenges in the region,” the statement said, further expressing that Baku is “firm to protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity by all legitimate means enshrined in the UN Charter and international law.”

“Azerbaijan remains committed to constructive engagement with all those who bear sincere interest in taking forward the normalization agenda and thus, is willing and able to contribute to attaining long-awaited peace and stability in the region.”

​​​​​​​Despite ongoing talks over a long-term peace agreement, tensions between the neighboring countries rose in recent months over the Lachin road, the only land route giving Armenia access to the Karabakh region, where Azerbaijan established a border checkpoint in April on the grounds of preventing the illegal transport of military arms and equipment to the region.

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

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered peace agreement.