“The right to self-determination has been one of the cornerstones of the negotiation process, and it cannot be removed from the agenda through the use of military force,” said Aivazyan.
“By launching military attacks against Artsakh’s self-determination, Azerbaijan and Turkey violated their international commitments, while Azerbaijan also violated its commitments in the peace process,” explained the foreign minister.
“Since September 27, there has been a new watershed moment for the international community, as it has come to realize that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue is not just a territorial dispute,” he added.
Aivazyan said ethnic cleansing and war crimes were committed in all parts of Artsakh that came under the control of Azerbaijan, which once again proves the need to address the recognition of Artsakh’s right to self-determination.
Only in that case, he said, “will it be possible to achieve a just and lasting peace, and only then can we think of a new era of peaceful existence in the South Caucasus.”
The cases of inhumane treatment of Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians by the Azerbaijani military are strongly condemnable, added Aivazyan.
The Foreign Minister stressed that not only are these cases not condemned by the top leadership of Azerbaijan, but also receive public support.
“Many Armenian medieval cultural and religious monuments in the Azerbaijani-occupied territories of Artsakh, which the Azerbaijani side is either trying to destroy, desecrate or change their identity, are also being targeted by these manifestations of Armenian hatred,” Minister Aivazyan said.
