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Azerbaijan's MFA comments on statement of Armenian MFA regarding former Shaumyan region of Azerbaijan

14 June 2020 12:10 (UTC +04:00)

"A statement by the Armenian Foreign Ministry on the alleged occupation of the former Shahumyan region of Azerbaijan clearly shows that the groundless territorial claims of the aggressor country of Armenia against Azerbaijan are not limited to the Nagorno-Karabakh region and the seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan, which are currently occupied by the Armenian armed forces," said Leyla Abdullayeva, the head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan in response to a media question in connection with a statement by the Armenian Foreign Ministry regarding the former Shaumyan region of Azerbaijan, APA reports.

According to L. Abdulayeva, the former Shaumyan region of Azerbaijan was first created in 1930 in the form of an administrative unit, that is, the Shaumyan rural region, which included mainly the territories of the former Ganja district, inhabited by Armenians. This area has never been part of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. In 1991, by the decision of the Supreme Council of the Republic of Azerbaijan, it was abolished and included in the Kasum-Ismailovsky region, which in turn was returned the historical name of Goranboy: "The fact that the Armenian Foreign Ministry accuses Azerbaijan of occupying its own internationally recognized territories equally causes laughter and, to say the least, bewilderment.

Recall that back in 2015, in the 30th paragraph of the decision of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the claim “Sargsyan v. Azerbaijan,” the Court noted that the former Shaumyan region (Goranboy) “was declared by the NKR as part of its territory ...” Having regard to the above arguments, the Court established in paragraphs 134 and 139 that the region is an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan and thus the claim of Armenia was rejected."

MFA Spokesperson L. Abdullayeva emphasized that this statement of the occupying country once again demonstrated to the whole world how, in fact, the Armenian leadership is preparing its people for peace: "In general, I would like to note that the latest statements by the Armenian Foreign Ministry are aimed at escalating the already tense situation. It is difficult to say whether they are doing it consciously or out of despair, since today it is obvious that in the context of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, Armenia was left alone. There is not a single country, and there are no forces in the world who not only supported, but even sympathized with, the positions of the Armenian side.

Perhaps the difficult internal political situation in their country puts pressure on the latest statements and comments of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, and in this way they want to show their firmness. Although it would be more logical to sit down with us at the table and conclude negotiations in accordance with the proposals that have been repeatedly discussed at all levels."