Azerbaijan says Russia, Armenia failIed to fulfill trilateral deal on Karabakh

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijan has said that Russia and Armenia have failed to fulfill their obligations under the trilateral deal signed between the three countries that ended 44 days of heavy fighting in the Karabakh region in the fall of 2020.

“Since the first day of the signing of the aforementioned trilateral statement, Armenia has not fulfilled many provisions of the statement, and Russia has not ensured the full implementation of the statement within its obligations,” a statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.

Noting that Azerbaijan always “stayed true” to the trilateral deal, the statement said no measures were taken despite "repeated warnings by Baku on the use of the Lachin road for illegal activities."

“Over the past few months, hundreds of Armenian residents have been allowed to pass through this checkpoint in a well-regulated and transparent manner. Despite this, Armenia has not ceased its provocations against Azerbaijan and opened fire on the checkpoint on June 15, as well as attempted smuggling using the vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in July,” the statement added.

It added that attempts to politicize the establishment of the border checkpoint, in addition to statements made on the alleged humanitarian crisis in the region, are “baseless.”

“Notwithstanding the above-mentioned facts, the complete withdrawal of the remnants of the Armenian armed forces existing in the territory of Azerbaijan has not yet been ensured contrary to the 2020 Trilateral Statement, to which the Russian Federation is a party. On the contrary, Armenian armed forces are supported under the supervision of the Russian peacekeeping contingent,” it further said.

It also said that an earlier Russian Foreign Ministry statement on the trilateral deal and the peace process between Baku and Yerevan causes “disappointment and misunderstanding,” as well as contradicts Moscow's previous statements supporting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

A statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry earlier on Saturday urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to immediately draft a peace treaty "based on the previously reached agreements," expressing Moscow's belief that "reliable and clear guarantees of the rights and security of the Armenians of Karabakh should become an integral part of this agreement."

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered peace agreement.

Despite the ongoing talks on a peace agreement, tensions between the neighboring countries increased in recent months over the Lachin corridor, the only land route giving Armenia access to Karabakh.