<p>No:236/20, Head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Leyla Abdullayeva responds to the media's request to comment on what the representative of the Armenian Foreign Ministry said at a press conference on 2 September of this year.</p>
Answer: In recent statements of the Foreign Minister of the aggressor state Armenia we observe the attempts for the restoration of talks on a peaceful solution of the conflict. Obviously, there is a desire to link these attempts with the statements made by the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov during his official visit to Russia. Probably the Armenian side carefully listened to the words of Jeyhun Bayramov during the press briefing at the Foreign Ministry in Moscow; thus Minister Jeyhun Bayramov emphasized that Azerbaijan's position on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict is based on the norms and principles of international law, as well as the documents and resolutions of international organizations, primarily the UN Security Council resolutions, and underlined the importance of the liberation of the Azerbaijani territories and the return of IDPs to their homes as part of a peaceful settlement of the conflict. This is the firm position of Azerbaijan, and elimination of the consequences of the aggressive policy of Armenia should constitute the essence of any negotiations on the settlement of the conflict.
If the Armenian occupying forces withdraw from the internationally recognized Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions of Azerbaijan, there will be no need for a ceasefire, or its strengthening, or an investigation mechanism.
Apparently, Armenia is still engaged in hypocrisy. While speaking about the peace process, on the one hand, it attempted, on the other hand, for sabotage infiltration in the line of contact after the provocation on the border between the two countries in the direction of Tovuz, and threatened to bomb Azerbaijani cities along with continuing its policy of illegal settlement in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
Furthermore, the setting of conditions for the negotiation process by the Armenian Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, as well as their coming up with claims that have no legal or political basis is aimed at disrupting the talks.
As for the commenting by the press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry on Azerbaijan's official position regarding the armament of Armenia by Russia, as well as Azerbaijan's diplomatic potential, I can briefly say that, unlike Armenia, Azerbaijan pursues an independent foreign policy based on its national interests, and Azerbaijani diplomats adequately implement this policy. Historically being a tool in the foreign policy of other countries, Armenia, which has not even learned what it is to pursue an independent policy during the 29 years of its independence, needs at least another 29 years to gain diplomatic potential.