On March 25, Minister of Defense Colonel General Zakir Hasanov and Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Army General Sergei Shoigu discussed over the phone the situation in the territory of Azerbaijan where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed. During the conversation the Azerbaijani party said that the positions and deployment locations were being specified on site.
However, on the morning of March 26, members of illegal Armenian armed groups made an attempt to commit an act of sabotage against units of the Azerbaijani army. As a result of immediate actions, members of illegal Armenian armed groups were forced to retreat.
The Ministry of Defense states that Azerbaijan is committed to abiding by the Trilateral Statement of November 10, 2020 and has not violated any of its provisions.
“Unfortunately, the full withdrawal of the remnants of the Armenian army and illegal Armenian armed groups from the territory of Azerbaijan in accordance with Paragraph 4 of this Statement has not yet been carried out. Therefore, it is Armenia and not Azerbaijan that violates the provisions of the Statement,” the Ministry pointed out.
The statement of the Russian Defense Ministry contradicts the nature of bilateral relations and the Declaration of Allied Cooperation signed between the two countries on February 22, 2022, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan stressed.
There is no administrative and territorial unit called “Nagorno-Karabakh” in the territory of Azerbaijan. The name of the village mentioned in the statement is not Furukh but Farrukh, the Ministry of Defense clarified.
In view of the above, the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan requests that the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation ensure the full withdrawal of the remnants of the Armenian army and illegal Armenian armed groups from the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan in accordance with the provisions of the Trilateral Statement, not describe movements of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan within the sovereign territory of their country in a distorted form, not use the phrase “Nagorno Karabakh”, and state the names of the territories of Azerbaijan correctly.
