Azerbaijan slams Armenia’s claims on peace treaty negotiations as "unfounded"

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has rejected the recent allegations made by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, who claimed that Azerbaijan was presenting new conditions regarding the peace treaty between the two nations.

These remarks were made during a joint press conference with Sayyid Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, issued a statement addressing Mirzoyan’s claims, calling them “entirely unfounded.” According to Hajizada, the Armenian Foreign Minister is fully aware of the long-standing demands that have been part of the negotiation process, Caliber.Az reports.

“The allegations by the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan during the joint press conference with Sayyid Abbas Araghchi, Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, that Azerbaijan was presenting new conditions following the agreement on the text of the peace treaty, are entirely unfounded,” Hajizada stated.

He continued, clarifying that the demand to amend Armenia’s constitution, specifically the provision related to Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as the formal dissolution of the Minsk Group, had been crucial topics of negotiation for over two years.

“The Armenian Foreign Minister is well aware that the demand to remove the provision against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty in the Armenian constitution, as well as to formally dissolve the Minsk Group, has been among the important topics of the negotiation process for the past two and a half years,” Hajizada explained.

The spokesperson also mentioned that the facts concerning Armenia's national legislation, court cases, and political statements reflecting territorial claims against Azerbaijan were shared with the Armenian side during a meeting in Washington in May 2023, with third countries also being fully aware of the situation.

“Taking into account the above-mentioned, the Armenian side's claims that Azerbaijan has recently put forward these conditions are aimed at confusing the international community, and this tactic will not yield any results,” Hajizada emphasized.

He concluded by urging Armenia to take decisive steps if it genuinely seeks a peace agreement with Azerbaijan. “If the Armenian side is interested in signing a peace treaty, it should promptly amend its Constitution to renounce its territorial claims against Azerbaijan, and should not refrain from cooperation to officially dissolve the Minsk Group,” Hajizada said.

By Vugar Khalilov