Baku preparing new escalation in region - Armenia`s foreign office 

ArmInfo. Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the Argument the  Azerbaijani side put forward at a meeting with foreign diplomats on September 18. 

Armenia's foreign office states that the arguments are similar to  diplomatic preparations for a new military escalation in the region  and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. 

"The speech of Azerbaijani officials during a meeting with foreign  diplomats accredited in Azerbaijan is aimed at ordering the  international community to be a "correspondent" in the implementation  of the policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and aggression  against Armenia, which is unacceptable.

During the above-mentioned meeting, representatives of Azerbaijan  stated that the Republic of Armenia rejects all proposals aimed at  reducing tensions. It is unclear what proposals Azerbaijan is talking  about, and the report on the meeting with foreign diplomats does not  clarify this issue. We consider it necessary to note that the  proposal for a mirror withdrawal of troops from the  Armenia-Azerbaijan state border remains in force and the Republic of  Armenia is ready to begin discussing its implementation the day  before," noted the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry also called Baku's claims that the  Republic of Armenia allegedly created a regime on the territory of  Nagorno-Karabakh groundless.

The support of the Republic of Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh is of a  humanitarian nature, the need for which is even more expressed  against the backdrop of the humanitarian crisis unfolding as a result  of the illegal blockade of the Kashatagh (Lachin) corridor. The  Republic of Armenia welcomes the arrival of the first humanitarian  supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh after a long break and hopes that this  process will be continuous and stable," they added in Yerevan.

At the same time, the Armenian Foreign Ministry considered it  necessary to emphasize that the 9-month blockage of the Kashatagh  corridor is a gross violation of the tripartite declaration of  November 9, 2020 and legally binding decisions of the International  Court of Justice of February 22 and 6 July of this year.

There would be no statements from Armenia, international partners and  even Azerbaijan about their readiness to provide humanitarian support  to Nagorno-Karabakh if Baku, through its illegal actions, had not  created a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and had not  prevented the entry of UN structures and other international partners  into Artsakh. Along with blocking the Kashatagh corridor, Azerbaijan  has disrupted gas and electricity supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh, which  makes it obvious that Azerbaijani talk about blocking the corridor is  a lie. If Azerbaijan explains the illegal blocking of the corridor  with false news about the transportation of weapons and ammunition  through the corridor to Nagorno-Karabakh, then it is not clear what  else can be transported along power lines besides electricity, and  what else can be transported through a gas pipeline besides natural  gas. Regarding Azerbaijan's claims regarding the presence of the  Armenian army in Nagorno-Karabakh, we once again emphasize that the  Republic of Armenia does not have an army in Artsakh, and Baku's  false claims about the installation of mines on Azerbaijani territory  were refuted by the decision of the International Court of Justice on  February 22.

The RA MFA once again considered it necessary to emphasize that the  Republic of Armenia confirms its commitment to the peace agenda, as  well as to the agreements reached in Prague on October 6, 2022 and in  Brussels on May 14, 2023.

"We note with concern that official Baku has not yet publicly  confirmed its commitment, in particular, to the Brussels Agreements  of May 14, 2023, which in turn is a key factor of tension in the  region.

Azerbaijan's views on the development of Armenia's military  capabilities are also unclear. The Republic of Armenia has repeatedly  stated that it does not intend to take aggressive actions against its  neighbors, and reforms in the military sphere are aimed at ensuring  its own territorial security.

As for the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, we see the  Baku-Stepanakert dialogue as a way to ease tensions and hope that our  international partners, interested in the stability of the region,  will take additional measures to create reliable mechanisms for such  a dialogue," the RA Foreign Ministry summed up.

As ArmInfo previously reported, on September 18, Azerbaijan made  another batch of demands on Armenia and Artsakh, including the  abolition of the NKR Defense Army, dissatisfaction with the  development of the RA Armed Forces, the demand to liquidate state  institutions of Artsakh, etc.