Pashinyan's statements contradicting Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process are regrettable: MFA

It is regrettable that the Prime Minister of Armenia made a series of statements at the press conference held on August 31 that contradict the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process and the efforts to ensure peace and security in the region.

Azernews reports that Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Aykhan Hajizade said in the ministry's statement regarding the views expressed by the Prime Minister of Armenia against Azerbaijan at the press conference.

"Allegations that there are territorial claims against Armenia in the Constitutional Act of Azerbaijan are completely false. In this matter, the attempt to create parallelism and equality between the Constitution of Azerbaijan and the Constitution of Armenia is unacceptable. None of the international partners accept this argument of Armenia, and everyone knows that it is frivolous. Unlike the Constitution of Armenia, the Constitutional Act on State Independence of 1991 and the Declaration of Independence of 1918 referenced in the Constitution of Azerbaijan do not contain any territorial claims against Armenia. Which territories were part of Azerbaijan during the First Republic of Azerbaijan and when they joined Armenia are historical facts and these facts cannot be denied. This does not mean that there are any territorial claims against Armenia in Azerbaijani legislation.

It is also completely unreasonable for the Armenian side to state that the territorial claim in the Constitution of this country is harmless, noting the provision in the draft peace agreement that "no party can refer to its domestic legislation for failure to fulfill its obligations under the peace agreement." We note once again that it is a well-known fact that no international agreement is superior to the Constitution.

That is why, no matter in what form the Armenian side intends to sign the "peace agreement" project, the main condition for signing a real and lasting peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia is ending the ongoing territorial claims against Azerbaijan, which have been established in numerous legal and political documents of Armenia along with its Constitution, which clearly refers to the Act of Independence of Armenia, which calls for the "unification of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh".

At the same time, the allegations made by the Prime Minister when justifying Armenia's mass armament efforts do not reflect the truth in any case. First of all, let's note that it is not difficult to understand how it threatens regional peace and security given that for nearly 30 years, Armenia the country that has occupied Azerbaijan's territories in violation of the norms and principles of international law, the UN Charter, and the Alma-Ata Declaration, and taking into account the existence of territorial claims against its neighbors.

The fact that the Armenian side allegedly stated that Azerbaijan's military budget is 14-15 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), which is much more than Armenia's, completely contradicts the information released by the relevant international organizations about the military budget, and this figure is repeatedly exaggerated. In addition, the increase of Armenia's military expenditures by 46 percent compared to last year is another indicator that proves the militarization of Armenia. At the same time, the claim made by the Armenian PM that Azerbaijan allegedly bought weapons from Italy does not reflect the truth.

Looking at the position of the prime minister regarding the Minsk Group, it is clear that the Armenian side's attempts to restore the institution, which is a remnant of the past conflict, demonstrate the existence of this country's hidden agenda against Azerbaijan.

The logic of the prime minister of Armenia that these problems can be ignored shows that this country is not interested in lasting peace and is only trying to keep this situation as a backup option to start aggression against Azerbaijan again in the future.

In order to prove that it is serious about the peace process, Armenia should refrain from contradictory statements and provocative steps, and show that it respects the norms and principles of international law with its actions and at the same time with real steps.