MFA: Azerbaijan has no obligations to release war criminals

The allegations by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in his speech at the forum called “Crossroads of Peace: Combining Security and Democracy" on October 12 regarding the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, are an attempt to distort the realities, reads a commentary by Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on anti-Azerbaijani views expressed by the prime minister of Armenia in his speech at the forum, Report informs referring to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

"The Armenian Prime Minister’s statement regarding the opening of communications with reference to the trilateral statement once again demonstrates the negligence of the Armenian leadership for the obligations it has undertaken.

Paragraph 9 of the trilateral statement clearly states the obligations of Armenia with regard to the opening of communications, and how to organize control over transport links.

In general, if we look at the activities of Armenia that violated other obligations arising from the trilateral statement of November 10, including Armenia’s failure to withdraw its illegal armed units from the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan until September 2023, transfer of additional weapons and ammunition, military equipment, landmines to Azerbaijani territories through the Lachin corridor that was established for humanitarian purposes only, continuation of landmine terror against Azerbaijan should be recalled first and foremost," reads the statement.

"No one has forgotten that the Armenian side, which had ostensibly declared that it recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, were propagating the puppet regime it kept in Azerbaijani territories and that the Prime Minister of Armenia congratulated the separatist junta regime on the so-called “independence” on September 2, 2023.

In this regard, the Armenian Prime Minister’s rhetorical questions about the activity of the Lachin corridor and the return of refugees and internally displaced people are only surprising and mocking.

It is also ludicrous that the Armenian side claims that the prisoners of war have not been returned. Adhering to the principle of humanism, Azerbaijan has so far handed over all prisoners of war to the Armenian side. Azerbaijan does not have any obligation to release war criminals and representatives of the separatist junta regime of Armenian origin," Hajizada noted.

"In conclusion, we urge the leadership of Armenia, which once again did not give up its baseless claims against the territories of Azerbaijan laid within historical and international legal framework, and the falsification of history, grossly violated the principles of international law, and did not draw conclusions from the miserable situation it had fallen in due to its policy of aggression to refrain from statements exceeding any boundaries, distorting the realities and, as a result misleading the international community."