Azerbaijan's Leadership Attempts to Outdo Its Previous Anti-Armenian Statements: Naghdalyan

The spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anna Naghdalyan, has issued a statement regarding the belligerent remarks made by various branches of the Azerbaijani government.

“Recently, there have been vacuous, hysteria-inducing competitive anti-Armenian statements from Azerbaijan's top leadership and various departments. It seems that the Azerbaijani leadership is attempting to surpass its previous anti-Armenian remarks, which is no easy task given the persistent anti-Armenian discourse over decades.”

“Significantly, the authoritarian regime of Azerbaijan, which propagates hatred towards its own people and threatens with war, is using its fight against COVID-19 as a pretext for large-scale human rights violations in the country—a reality that has been highlighted by several reputable international and regional organizations.”

“However, as much as the propaganda of hatred against Armenians and the threats of war are aimed at the domestic audience, such statements seriously harm the peace process and indicate that it is not the Azerbaijani people, but rather the highest leadership of Azerbaijan that is not prepared for peace.”

“The anti-Armenian actions of Azerbaijan's leadership have already received legal assessment from international courts. For instance, the judgment in the case of 'Makuçyan and Minasyan v. Azerbaijan and Hungary' at the European Court of Human Rights condemned the racist policies of the Azerbaijani state, expressed through the actions of pardoning, releasing, and rewarding the murderer Ramil Safarov.”

“Viewing anti-Armenian sentiment as a primary source for internal cohesion and legitimacy of power, the current authorities of Azerbaijan pose a threat not only to Artsakh, Armenia, and the entire Armenian people, but also to regional peace and security.”

“The security system of Artsakh and Armenia is sufficiently comprehensive and stable to effectively address and counter such threats.”