Armenian FM admits "withholding" of accurate minefield maps from Azerbaijan Opinion by Adnan Huseyn

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has admitted, in his own camouflaged way, to the withholding of accurate minefield maps from Azerbaijan, contradicting previous claims of having shared all relevant information.

“Mirzoyan, once again employing his evasive approach, concedes that the previously supplied maps were ineffective and inaccurate”, Adnan Huseyn, founder of re:Azerbaijan, wrote this in his latest post on X (previously known as Twitter), on January 24, according to Caliber.Az.

The escalating toll of land mine victims, exemplified by a recent incident just two days ago, unequivocally validates Azerbaijan's longstanding claim about the inaccuracy of maps provided by Armenia. This underscores the tangible and immediate consequences of incomplete or inaccurate minefield data.

The confession raises significant concerns about the humanitarian impact, given ongoing incidents involving landmines that are claiming innocent lives in Azerbaijan. The idea of a diplomat setting conditions for providing maps, the withholding of which jeopardizes the lives of innocent people, including children, is utterly incomprehensible.

Mirzoyan's audacious attempt to shift blame onto Azerbaijan for supposed deficiencies in previously shared maps, despite Armenia's illegal occupation of internationally recognized Azerbaijani territories for nearly 30 years, introduces a layer of hypocrisy and inhumanity to the situation.

The Foreign Minister shamelessly suggested that Azerbaijan initiated mine laying in those areas during the nineties, overlooking the fact that Azerbaijan continues to discover recently planted landmines produced in Armenia in 2021, even after the tripartite agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia that concluded the 2020 war was signed.

This recurring falsehood mirrors the narrative perpetuated by certain foreign actors, including states and international organizations, consistently seeking to interfere in Azerbaijan's affairs. Mirzoyan's confession once more casts doubt on the credibility of Armenia's statements and prompts scrutiny of foreign entities consistently aligning with Armenia in international forums.

The international community, comprising states and organizations, has frequently demonstrated a biased and one-sided stance in favor of Armenia. The crucial question remains whether the international community will react to this admission and adopt a principled stance against withholding accurate minefield maps, a practice directly contributing to the loss of innocent lives.

Past experiences suggest a tendency to overlook such crucial revelations, raising concerns about the consistency of international responses in cases involving Armenia’s wrongdoing.