In a statement on March 22 Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, in particular, accused Azerbaijan of deliberately disrupting the normal operation of a gas pipeline passing through the territory controlled by its military forces. “We consider this outrageous policy of systematic violence against Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to be unacceptable,” it said.
The statement followed reports by de-facto Armenian authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh that natural gas supplies to the region had been cut by Baku, which created humanitarian problems for the population of the region still experiencing subzero temperatures despite early spring.
Still earlier, the Armenian ministry slammed Baku over inviting United Nations officials to an event in Shushi (Susa), a key town and site in Nagorno-Karabakh contested by Armenians and Azerbaijanis.
“The Armenian Foreign Ministry first tries to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan by issuing a statement on the participation of international organizations in an event held in Azerbaijan. And now it [issues a statement] on a different matter,” Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Leyla Abdullayeva said on Wednesday as quoted by Azerbaijani media.
“We recommend that instead of making unfounded and illegal accusations, Armenia should ensure the fulfillment of its obligations, including the withdrawal of the remnants of its armed forces from the region, and thus contribute to regional peace and security,” she added.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Chief of the General Staff of the Azerbaijani Army, Colonel-General Kerim Veliyev had met with a delegation led by Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation for Peacekeeping Activities, Colonel-General Alexey Kim. It said that during that meeting the sides “held a thorough exchange of views on the withdrawal of illegal Armenian armed groups from the territory of Azerbaijan and a number of other issues.”