Baku, August 16, AZERTAC

“We categorically reject the groundless allegations made against Azerbaijan in the statement of France on August 15, as a result of the phone conversation of the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colonna, with Ararat Mirzoyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia,” Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“Regarding the claims that the Lachin road was allegedly kept under "blockade" by Azerbaijan and as a result of which “Armenian residents are facing a serious humanitarian crisis,” we once again remind that it is absurd to portray as a “blockade” the activity of the Lachin border check-point established in accordance with Azerbaijan’s obligation to guarantee the safety of citizens, vehicles and cargo on the Lachin road, as well as to prevent the misuse of the Lachin road by Armenia for military and illegal economic purposes.

It is well known to the French side that on a daily basis the movement of tens of Armenian residents in both directions is organized via this road through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In addition, the fact that the French side, while referring to the decision of the International Court of Justice dated February 22, did not pay attention to the unanimous rejection of Armenia’s request to remove the Lachin border check-point by the aforementioned court with the Order dated July 6, testifies to unhealthy intentions of this country.

Also, the French side is well aware that if the Armenian residents are really in need for daily necessities, for this purpose the Azerbaijani side has offered "Aghdam-Khankendi" and other alternative routes. Despite the fact of support by the European Union and the ICRC to use these roads, it is regrettable that the French side, following Armenia’s manipulations, does not support these agreements. At the same time, the fact that the French side did not react to the violation of the agreement by Armenia and its subordinate separatist regime reached regarding the use of these alternative roads indicates the efforts of this country to further aggravate the tension in the region.

It is deeply concerning that France, which has never paid attention to the mass expulsion of Azerbaijanis from their homes and to the war crimes against these people for nearly 30 years, is now trying to carry out its insidious policy using Armenian residents as an excuse based on false propaganda of Armenia.

It is worth reminding the French side that turning a blind eye to the fact of continuing political-military provocations by Armenia against the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and non-withdrawal of its armed forces fully from the territories of Azerbaijan in gross violation of all the norms and principles of international law, as well as obligations within the framework of the agreements, is a real obstacle to the peace process.

The fact that the French Minister, while believing the false propaganda of Armenia, in its statement referred to the misinformation about firing at the European Union Mission in Armenia, despite that it was declared false by the Mission, once again proves that France is not interested in establishing peace and stability in the region.

As stated in the official information of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, the movement route of the representatives of the European Union is presented to the Azerbaijani side in advance. Based on the presented route, the Azerbaijani side especially monitored that the trip of the international observers to the designated destination on the specified day happens without any incidents. The area where the mission was dispatched was not in the region of Armenia where the alleged incident took place, but in the different direction of the conditional border.

In recent days, the Armenian side, which creates the ground for new provocations on the conditional border and in the Karabakh economic region, adhering to its tradition tries to distract the attention of the world community by spreading slanderous information and to turn the European Union into a tool for this purpose. It is unfortunate that the French side has also become a tool of this campaign,” the ministry added.