The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan reacted to the words of the head of the Russian delegation for negotiations with Ukraine, assistant to the President of Russia Vladimir Medinsky that the suspension of the conflict on Ukraine, without the conclusion of a real peace, may see the region turn into a "huge Karabakh."
"The statement of the assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky, made on June 9 in an interview with Russia Today TV channel and containing a distortion of facts about the past Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, as well as the presentation of Karabakh as a "disputed territory", causes regret and bewilderment," Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Ayhan Hajizade said.
He is "surprised" that Medinsky "does not know that Karabakh has never been a disputed territory."
"We remind you that Karabakh is the ancestral land of Azerbaijan. Russia itself has recognized and recognizes Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. The question is also raised by the fact that the assistant to the president of the country, who was herself a co—chair of the Minsk Group, either does not understand or does not want to understand the official position of his state on this issue," the representative of Baku said.
Medinsky, as Hajizade believes, "draws an unacceptable parallel between Russia's war against Ukraine and the situation in Karabakh."
"Azerbaijan has never violated the territorial integrity of other states and has not waged aggressive wars against other countries, and therefore such comparisons are absolutely incorrect. In 2020 and 2023, Azerbaijan conducted a just Patriotic War and an anti-terrorist operation on its sovereign, internationally recognized territory. The 44-day Patriotic War and anti-terrorist activities, which lasted less than a day in 2023, ended with the complete victory of Azerbaijan and the defeat of Armenia. Thus, an end was put to the Armenian occupation, in full compliance with the norms and principles of international law," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.
Baku recommended Vladimir Putin's aide "to refrain from spreading erroneous statements on issues beyond his competence and not to harm interstate relations."
As reported by EADaily, Vladimir Medinsky said that the result of the suspension of the conflict on Ukraine without the conclusion of a real peace can become a nuclear war.
"If we stop the conflict along the front line and do not agree on a real peace, just conclude some kind of truce, then it will be - you know, there was such a disputed region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Karabakh — then this region will turn into a huge Karabakh. After some time, Ukraine, together with NATO, with its allies, will join NATO, will try to win it back, and this will be the end of the planet, it will be a nuclear war. Moscow does not want to create an excuse — a giant Karabakh, not recognized by anyone — because of which a nuclear war could break out. Therefore, we want to stop, conclude a full—fledged peace and recognize new territories," Medinsky said.