“Regrettably, the Prime Minister of Armenia has once again made a series of statements at a press conference on August 31 that contradict the Azerbaijan-Armenia normalization process and the efforts to ensure peace and security in the region,” said Aykhan Hajizade, Spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commenting on the remarks made by the Prime Minister of Armenia against Azerbaijan during the press conference.

Hajizade emphasized: “Allegations about the territorial claims against Armenia in the Constitutional Act of Azerbaijan are completely false. An attempt to draw parallels and balance the Constitution of Azerbaijan and the Constitution of Armenia is unacceptable. None of the international partners accept this claim of Armenia, and everyone knows it is frivolous. Unlike the Constitution of Armenia, the Constitutional Act on State Independence of 1991 and the Declaration of Independence of 1918 referred to in the Constitution of Azerbaijan do not contain any territorial claims against Armenia. Which territories were part of Azerbaijan during the First Republic of Azerbaijan and when they integrated into Armenia are historical facts and these facts cannot be denied. Currently, this does not mean that there are any territorial claims against Armenia in Azerbaijan’s legislation.

The reference by the Armenian side to the provision in the draft peace agreement that “neither party may invoke its domestic legislation for not implementing its obligations under the peace agreement” to support the statement that the territorial claim in its Constitution is harmless is null and void. It is a well-known fact that no international agreement can have a superiority over the Constitution.

Therefore, no matter in what form the Armenian side intends to sign the “peace agreement,” the major condition for signing the real and sustainable peace agreement is ending the continuing territorial claim of Armenia against Azerbaijan that is enshrined within its multiple legal and political documents, most importantly in the Constitution of Armenia that openly refers to the Declaration of Independence of Armenia calling for “reunion of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Furthermore, the allegations made by the Prime Minister when justifying Armenia’s mass militarization efforts do not reflect the reality in any case. First of all, let us note that Armenia is the country that has kept the territories of Azerbaijan under the occupations for nearly 30 years contrary to the norms and principles of international law, the UN Charter, and the Alma-Ata Declaration that she refers to, and it is not difficult to understand how the militarization of Armenia is a threat to regional peace and security taking into account the existence of territorial claims against its neighbors.

Armenia’s allegations that the military budget of Azerbaijan is 14-15% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and exceeds multiple times Armenia’s relevant budget is completely contrary to the information disseminated by international organizations about the military budget, and this figure is repeatedly exaggerated. In addition, the increase of Armenia’s military expenditures by 46% compared to last year is another indicator that proves Armenia’s militarization. At the same time, the claim made by the Prime Minister that Azerbaijan allegedly bought weapons from Italy does not reflect the reality.

Concerning the position of the Prime Minister on the Minsk Group, it is possible to see that the attempts of the Armenian side to restore the Minsk Group, which is a remnant of the past conflict, demonstrate that this country has a hidden agenda against Azerbaijan.

The logic of the Prime Minister of Armenia that these problems can be ignored shows that this country is not interested in sustainable peace and is only trying to keep this situation as a backup option to start aggression against Azerbaijan once again in the future.

In order to prove that it is serious about the peace process, Armenia should refrain from contradictory statements and provocative steps, and show that it respects the norms and principles of international law with its actions and real steps.”