Armenian Foreign Ministry’s response to Ilham Aliyev’s statement
Spokesperson of the Republic of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, Ani Badalyan, responded to the statement made by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, that Armenia is playing a dangerous game, talking about peace, but at the same time arming itself.
Official Yerevan has repeatedly and at the highest level announced that it has no aggressive intentions towards any of its neighbours, recognizes their territorial integrity and does not have any territorial claims. It should be emphasized that the recent decision of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia, in which the Supreme Court verified and confirmed that the regulation on Joint Activity of the Commissions on the delimitation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan complies with the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia and denied all the claims that the Constitution contains territorial claims against any of Armenia’s neighbours. The Republic of Armenia has also stated that although certain of its territories are occupied, it does not have any intention or agenda to return them through military means, because the mentioned regulation on the Joint Activities on Commissions on delimitation of the border gives all the opportunities to address and solve these issues peacefully and through negotiations.
As for armaments, the UN Charter grants each state the right to self-defense. Moreover, international law obligates every state to protect its citizens. Armenia acquires armaments and equipment solely for the purpose of exercising its right to self-defense and fulfilling its obligation to protect its citizens. At the same time, Azerbaijan’s acquisition of offensive armaments is many times higher than Armenia’s acquisition, something that Azerbaijan’s president frequently announces.