Hajiyev: Illegal Armenian armed forces in Karabakh were challenge to regional security

The illegal presence of Armenian armed forces in Karabakh was a serious challenge to regional peace and security, and Azerbaijan had no choice but to take anti-terrorism measures, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev said in an interview with BBC News, Report informs.

“Azerbaijan has always said that illegal presence of the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia continues to remain a major challenge to the regional peace and security. And regardless of this fact the Armenian side refused to withdraw its troops from the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan stipulated by the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020. But Armenia continued military build-up,” he noted.

“Therefore, Azerbaijan was obliged, it’s not our choice, to take counter-terrorism actions and measures on the ground that are local and limited by nature, we are not talking about wide military operation in this case,” he added.