Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan disseminated yet another cynical statement turning obvious facts upside down in an attempt to put the responsibility on the Armenian side for military actions, unleashed on April 2 by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh, the purpose of which is to avoid responsibility for the committed war crimes.

It is not for the first time that Baku makes futile attempts to distort the obvious reality. During communications our international partners have also confirmed that, beyond any doubt it was Azerbaijan, which initiated the large-scale offensive along the entire Line of Contact with Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in hundreds of killed and maimed, and committed war crimes.

Armenia strongly condemns Azerbaijan’s futile attempts to cast doubt on the trilateral ceasefire agreement of 1994, signed by Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, that does not have time limitations. It is a dangerous step which threatens with further destabilization of the situation in the region. The aggressive military actions launched by Azerbaijan at the beginning of April could not result in the cessation of the 1994 agreement, rather they imply the liability of the party which violated the ceasefire.

All of this shows that, despite the calls of the international community to continue the negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, Baku’s real intention is to undermine the settlement process. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that the lengthy statement of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry does not contain any reference not only to the statements of the heads of the Co-Chair countries on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution but it also lacks any mentioning whatsoever of the only internationally mandated mediation format of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Azerbaijan strives to portray the negotiations as a kind of a process that discusses solely those issues which fit Baku’s interests.

It is obvious that calls and appeals are not sufficient anymore to bring Baku back to senses and definite steps are needed to bring Azerbaijan to order and into a constructive mood.