"The distorted presentation of some issues to the public by the other side, unfortunately, does not happen for the first time. We still remember the false information provided to the Armenian society during the Patriotic War," Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov said at a press conference on the denial of Armenia's lawsuit against Azerbaijan in the International Court of Justice.
"During the Patriotic War, the Armenian leadership gave completely false information to the public about the heights achieved by the Azerbaijani Army during the counter-offensive, the cities and villages liberated from occupation. As you know, the signing of the tripartite statement on November 10, 2020, caused an outburst in Armenian society. This was because the community was kept inside a vacuum of unawareness during the war, and the Armenians had a completely different idea against the background of misinformation. Armenian society did not know the current situation on the frontline in connection with military operations," Deputy FM said.
According to Mammadov, the number one issue raised by Armenia before the International Court of Justice in October was the release of persons of Armenian descent detained in Azerbaijan: "The International Court of Justice has stated its unequivocal position on this issue. The decisions cited by Armenia consisted of a repetition of Azerbaijan's existing obligations under the convention. According to both international humanitarian law and the Convention, detainees in Azerbaijan must be treated humanely, and no pressure must be exerted on them. Azerbaijan fully complies with its obligations under all international conventions and will continue to do so. In this sense, in reality, nothing changes for Azerbaijan."