Statement by the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan

The holding of illegal "elections" and the so-called "inauguration" in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan by the aggressor state Armenia, is another manifestation of the annexation policy of the Republic of Armenia.

The results of the so-called “elections”, which contradict both the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the norms and principles of international law and, accordingly, are unambiguously rejected by the international community, do not and cannot have any legal force. The separatist regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan is the result of the illegal use of force against Azerbaijan by Armenia, which led to the occupation of 1/5 of the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, the bloody ethnic cleansing in these territories and violation of the fundamental rights of hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons.

The participation of the Prime Minister of aggressor state Armenia in this provocation, organized under the name of "inauguraion" in the city of Shusha, which has a special significance in the historical and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people, is nothing but a black stain on the concept of democracy by someone who introduces himself as a "democrat".

In the context of the ongoing military occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions of Azerbaijan and the deprivation of the electoral rights of the forcibly expelled Azerbaijani population, the holding of illegal “elections” or “inauguration” there, in addition to their apparent unlawfulness, are contrary to elementary logic and, accordingly, represent the subject of universal condemnation and rejection.

The war is not over yet and Azerbaijan has every right to restore its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders by all necessary means. The consistent provocative actions of the Armenian leadership 0ify practically all efforts for a peaceful settlement of the conflict and serve to strengthen further military confrontation and increase tension in the region.

Let no one doubt that the occupied territories will be liberated, the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan will be restored within its internationally recognized borders, and the fundamental rights of IDPs will be ensured.