AZE.US
Azerbaijan has rejected comments by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova concerning Karabakh and the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), describing them as a distortion of reality.
Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry, said Karabakh had always been internationally recognized – including by Russia – as an integral part of Azerbaijan.
“The Karabakh region has always been recognized by the international community, including the Russian Federation, as an integral part of Azerbaijan,” Hajizada said.
He argued that attempts to discuss the possible use of CSTO mechanisms in relation to Azerbaijani sovereign territories that remained under Armenian occupation for nearly three decades were unfounded.
Hajizada also rejected linking the issue to whether Armenia had recognized Karabakh as its own territory or as an independent entity, saying such an interpretation contradicted Russia’s official position on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.
What Zakharova Said
Zakharova made the remarks on July 27 while speaking at the Gvardeysk youth forum.
She said Armenia had previously called for the activation of CSTO mechanisms, but that questions remained over whom the Russian-led security alliance would have acted against and in relation to which territory.
Zakharova said Armenia had recognized Karabakh neither as part of its own territory nor as an independent state. Under those circumstances, she argued, the CSTO’s collective security mechanism could not have been used in the conflict.
The CSTO is a Russian-led military alliance that includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. Armenia has frozen its participation in the organization but has not formally completed its withdrawal.
Azerbaijan Rejects Link to Armenia-Russia Dispute
Hajizada said Azerbaijan had restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with international law, bringing the former conflict to an end.
“Azerbaijan has restored its territorial integrity and sovereignty in accordance with international law, thereby resolving the former conflict,” he said.
The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also objected to Azerbaijan being drawn into current disputes between Moscow and Yerevan.
“In this context, the practice of commenting on issues pertaining to Russia-Armenia relations by associating them with Azerbaijan should be ended,” Hajizada said.
Baku’s position is that the international legal status of Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan did not depend on whether Armenia formally recognized the region as Armenian territory or as an independent entity.
Azerbaijani officials have repeatedly said that discussions involving Russia, Armenia and the CSTO should not be used to reopen questions surrounding a conflict that Baku considers resolved following the restoration of its sovereignty over the region.
AZE.US