Azernews.Az

"It has become a tradition for Armenian officials to prioritise groundless and contradictory statements over practical steps in the peace process with Azerbaijan. This time the Armenian Prime Minister is remembered for his contradictory views," Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayhan Hajizadeh said in connection with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's speech at the session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Azernews reports.

It is unacceptable for the Armenian side to make accusations against Azerbaijan instead of commenting on the draft agreement "on the establishment of peace and interstate relations" and starting negotiations on the agreement, which it has been postponing for more than two months.

Ayhan Hajizadeh said that the Armenian Prime Minister's statement that there is an agreement between the two countries on basic principles and border demarcation, that Armenia and Azerbaijan have no territorial claims and that our country is preparing for war against Armenia is an indicator of how contradictory Armenian officials are in their statements:

"Despite Azerbaijan's initiatives towards the 5 basic principles, demarcation of borders, opening of communications and signing a peace treaty, the Armenian side has obstructed this process. Despite the return of about 100 Armenian prisoners by Azerbaijan, the Armenian side, in turn, violating the efforts to build confidence on the return of the prisoners who mistakenly crossed the border, capturing two Azerbaijani soldiers, shows that the Armenian side is not serious about the return of the detainees.

The Armenian Prime Minister's desire to ensure the safe and honourable return of the representatives of the " Western Azerbaijan Community" to their native land and their propaganda in this direction as "preparations for aggression" against Armenia are completely groundless.

We call on the Armenian side, which continues its aggressive slanderous rhetoric against our country through various international platforms, to stop making statements that harm the prospects for peace and to use the historical opportunities created to transform the South Caucasus region into a place of peace and cooperation.

We hope that Armenia will give an adequate response to Azerbaijan's appeals in the direction of normalising relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and signing a peace treaty in the near future" the Foreign Ministry spokesman added.

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