Foreign media
The Washington Times has published an article by Azerbaijani Ambassador to the United States Elin Suleymanov regarding Armenia’s ongoing military aggression against Azerbaijan.
Asked about the reason for the escalation in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, the ambassador said that the latest provocation by Armenia follows the July 12-14 attacks against Azerbaijan across the international border in the Tovuz region in the vicinity of regional oil and gas pipelines, a vital part of Europe’s energy security. Similarly, the transportation infrastructure and the air corridor connecting Europe and Asia, including NATO transit to Afghanistan, pass through the same territory.
The diplomat stressed that Armenia’s targeting of Azerbaijani civilians is not incidental but a deliberate policy of the Armenian armed forces trying to expand the policy of total ethnic cleansing they used in the 1990s.
Ambassador Suleymanov stated that all the fighting is taking place within the internationally recognized borders of the Republic of Azerbaijan. “Unfortunately, it is Armenia that has occupied and committed ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijani lands for the last three decades, and recently, the Armenian defense minister publicly announced the policy of “new war, new territories,” he said.
“We do hope for the soonest resolution of the conflict, which would bring about lasting peace based on international law. It would also allow for both the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh to live next to each other in peace and security,” the diplomat added.
He said that in order to achieve a lasting ceasefire between the parties, Armenia should comply with the requirements of the 4 resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council and ensure the withdrawal of its armed forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
As for the Moscow-Yerevan alliance, the Azerbaijani ambassador noted that Armenia hosts Russia’s military bases on its territory.
“Armenian leaders are desperately trying to provoke an Azerbaijani response against the territory of the Republic of Armenia, hoping to invoke treaty obligations of Russia within the Collective Security Treaty Organization. This shows Armenia’s intent to expand the scope of this conflict by dragging Russia directly into this confrontation as well as total disregard for the safety of its own population,” he said.
Ambassador Suleymanov also stated that Turkey is not a party to the conflict, and Ankara provides only moral and diplomatic support for Baku.
Commenting on the US participation in the mediation process, the Azerbaijani diplomat said that similar to Russia, the United States is both a Minsk Group co-chair and a U.N. Security Council permanent member. “Therefore, the U.S. should have a keen interest in implementing the peace plan and the decisions by both international organizations, respectively,” he said.
“So far, the United States has been assertive and vocal in calling for cease-fire and protection of civilians; now it should actively push for peace by convincing Armenia to end hostilities within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders and begin withdrawing,” the diplomat added.