Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry comments on claims by Russian Presidential Assistant

“The remarks made by Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, during an interview with Russia Today on 9 June, when he distorted facts regarding the former Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and presented the Karabakh region as a disputed territory, are both regrettable and surprising,” said Aykhan Hajizada, Spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as he commented on the claims by Vladimir Medinsky, Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation, regarding the former Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

“Surprisingly, as an assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and also the Chairman of the Interdepartmental Commission on Historical Education of Russia, Medinsky is unaware that Karabakh has never been a disputed territory. We would like to remind that Karabakh is an ancient and integral part of Azerbaijan. Russia itself has recognized and continues to recognize Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan’s territory.

The concerning issue is that the Assistant to the President of a country that was a co-chair of the Minsk Group either does not understand or does not wish to understand his country’s position on this matter.

Regrettably, the Assistant to the Russian President compares the Russia-Ukraine war to the situation that existed in Karabakh. Such a comparison is inappropriate, as Azerbaijan has never violated the territorial integrity of any country or waged an aggressive war against any state. In 2020 and 2023, Azerbaijan conducted the Patriotic War and anti-terrorist measures within its sovereign and internationally recognized territories. The 44-day Patriotic War and the anti-terrorist measures of 2023, which lasted less than a day, resulted in Azerbaijan’s complete victory and Armenia’s defeat, putting an end to Armenia’s occupation in accordance with the norms and principles of international law.

We recommend Mr. Medinsky to refrain from damaging interstate relations while making such erroneous claims on matters beyond his authority,” Hajizada added.