No:410/23, Commentary by the MFA Spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada on the July 27 statement of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France regarding the Lachin road
We firmly reject the statement by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France of July 27, on allegations about so-called blockade of the Lachin road by Azerbaijan.
The wrongful assessment by France that the establishment of Lachin border checkpoint by Azerbaijan is against the undertaken obligations, while referring to the negotiation process and the obligations within the Trilateral Statement, and at the same time somehow ignoring the presence of Armenian armed forces in the territories of Azerbaijan, the continuation of the military provocations against Azerbaijan, the illegal transportation of landmines and munitions to the territory of Azerbaijan, as well as the serious violation of the Statement by Armenia by obstructing the opening of communications, is completely unacceptable.
Seems like France, while referring to the decision of the ICJ, also forgot that the Court within its July 6 order confirmed the complete legitimacy of the Lachin border checkpoint and unanimously rejected the appeals of Armenia to withdraw the Border Guard personnel and eliminate the border checkpoint.
Azerbaijan has an obligation and authority to prevent the use of the Lachin road for illegal purposes, as well as its misuse by ensuring control and transparency on the border.
Notwithstanding such efforts by Azerbaijan, Armenia has not ceased its provocations, opened fire on the checkpoint, attempted smuggling, and tried to dispatch cargo to the area without prior agreement from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan facilitated the passage of the Armenian residents through the checkpoint despite the provocations, and as a result, on July 27, 34 individuals with 7 vehicles have passed through the checkpoint. Although the usage of “Aghdam-Khankendi” and other alternative routes was proposed for the transportation of large volumes of cargo, the disdain shown for this decision of Azerbaijan for a long period on its sovereign territory demonstrates the allegations on the humanitarian situation to be just a speculation.
In the given context, the silence of France in the face of the provocations of Armenia, as well as its biased appeals to Azerbaijan clearly demonstrates its policy to be flawed.
All in all, before being deceived by the manipulations of Armenia and issuing biased statements on the issue, we urge to think twice about the purpose of such biased statements, and understand that such statements aimed at Azerbaijan do not serve peace and stability in the region.