Azerbaijan rebukes Russian remarks on Karabakh, urges end to “political speculation”

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has issued a strong statement criticising recent remarks by Russian officials concerning Azerbaijan’s Garabagh (Karabakh) region, calling such comments an unacceptable interference in the country’s internal affairs, Caliber.Az reports, citing the ministry.

The statement follows discussions held in Moscow on April 1 between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, as well as subsequent public comments by Russian representatives.

“During the meeting… and in the following days, Russian officials in public discussions touched upon issues strictly related to Azerbaijan’s internal affairs,” the ministry said.

Baku stressed that it had already raised its concerns through diplomatic channels with Russian authorities, including the Presidential Administration, the government, and the foreign ministry.

“Our position on the inadmissibility of using the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan for political speculation” has been brought to the attention of the Russian side, the statement noted, adding that Azerbaijan expects “the cessation of such actions.”

However, the ministry expressed concern that the issue continues to feature in Russia’s official discourse. It pointed in particular to recent comments by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who addressed the question of recognition of Karabakh in the context of Armenian-Russian relations.

Reaffirming its stance, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry declared: “The fact that Garabagh region is an integral part of Azerbaijan is based not on the decision of any state, but on history, international law, and justice.”

It added that this reality “was once again reaffirmed and fully re-established as a result of the 44-day Patriotic War of 2020 and the 1-day anti-terror measures of 2023.”

The statement also underscored that “no country, including the Russian Federation, has ever questioned the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan including the Garabagh region.”

In conclusion, Baku called on Moscow to exercise restraint in its public messaging: “We… bring to the attention of the Russian side our expectations that issues related to Azerbaijan’s sovereignty will not become a subject of public clarification of relations at a time when Russian-Armenian relations are complex.”

By Vugar Khalilov