Baku. February 24th. INTERFAX-AZERBAIJAN - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan called the statement of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the decision of the UN International Court of Justice on interim measures on mutual claims of Baku and Yerevan a distortion of reality.
"The comments of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on February 23, 2023 regarding the decision of the International Court of Justice are inversely proportional to the court's decision and are another attempt by the Armenian side to pass off their dreams as reality," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Friday.
The Foreign Ministry emphasizes that Pashinyan's statement that the court allegedly recorded Azerbaijan's responsibility for the closure of the Lachin road (the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh - IF) "does not coincide in any way with the text of the court's ruling "on the request for the indication of temporary measures", which "does not say that the road is closed."
"The Prime Minister of Armenia, who commented on the issue of Azerbaijan's obligations on the Lachin road, seems to still misunderstand the provision of the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020 that Azerbaijan guarantees the safety of movement of citizens, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Road in both directions," the Foreign Ministry continued.
"The guarantee of traffic safety on the Lachin road by Azerbaijan should not be perceived as a possibility of abuse of the road, and the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly stated that it will not allow this," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stressed.
The ministry added that "the court's decision is not identical to Armenia's request, and the court's conclusion is that instead of "ensuring uninterrupted traffic ..." Azerbaijan should "use all available measures at its disposal."
"At the same time, the court did not accept Armenia's claim that movement on the road should be "free" and affected "all" persons, goods and vehicles. Thus, the court further supported Azerbaijan's position and rejected Armenia's demand that movement along the Lachin road should be carried out "freely", that is, without any control, as Armenia claims," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry noted.
The Foreign Ministry stated that "in its decision, the court took into account that Azerbaijan has taken and will take all measures at its disposal to ensure traffic safety on the Lachin road within its powers, as well as the country's efforts to implement the provisions of the trilateral declaration of November 10, 2020."
The ministry added that "the Azerbaijani side has repeatedly stated that the use of the Lachin road should be legal and transparent, and abuse of the road should not be allowed."
The Foreign Ministry recalled that Baku made a proposal to establish a checkpoint on the section of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border where the Lachin road originates, which "was positively met by international partners."
"However, Armenia's rejection of this proposal without explanation indicates Armenia's disinterest in transparency on the Lachin road and its intention to continue abusing the road," the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Last Wednesday, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations announced two rulings on requests for the indication of interim measures submitted by Armenia against Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan against Armenia under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
