<p>No:134/20, Commentary by the Head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Leyla Abdullayeva in response to the media question on the statement by the Armenian Foreign Ministry regarding the former Shaumyan region of Azerbaijan</p>
The statement by the MFA of Armenia on the alleged occupation of the former Shahumyan region of Azerbaijan clearly demonstrates that the groundless territorial claims of Armenia against Azerbaijan are not limited to the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan, which are currently under occupation of the armed forces of Armenia.
The former Shaumyan region of Azerbaijan was first created in 1930 in the form of an administrative unit, that is, the Shaumyan rural region, which included the territories of the former Ganja district, mainly inhabited by Armenians. This area has never been part of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. In 1991, by the decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan, it was abolished and included in the Kasim-Ismailov region, and later, its historical name of Goranboy was returned to the area.
The fact that the MFA of Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of occupying its own internationally recognized territories equally causes laughter and, to say the least, bewilderment.
We recall that in the 30th paragraph of the decision of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the case “Sargsyan v. Azerbaijan” of 2015 the Court noted that the former Shaumyan region (Goranboy) “was declared by the NKR as part of its territory ...”. Having considered the evidences presented, the Court in paragraphs 134 and 139 determined that the region is an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan and thus rejecting Armenia’s claims.
This statement by the MFA of Armenia, aimed at distracting the international community from the fact that it is Armenia that bears full responsibility for the military occupation of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and the adjacent areas, and the violation of the fundamental rights of hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis forcibly expelled from these territories, is a manifestation of dirty practice of falsification of facts by Armenia.
This statement of the occupying country once again demonstrated to the whole world how, in fact, the Armenian leadership is preparing its population for peace.
In general, I would like to note that the latest statements by the MFA are aimed at escalating the already tense situation. It is difficult to say whether they are doing it consciously or from hopelessness, since today it is obvious that in the context of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Armenia is left alone. There is not a single country in the world who not only support, but even sympathize with the position of the Armenian side.
Perhaps the difficult internal political situation in the country puts pressure on the latest statements and comments by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, and in this way they want to show their toughness. Although it would be more logical to sit down with us at the table and conclude negotiations in accordance with the proposals that have been repeatedly discussed at all levels.