The minister reminded that the trilateral statement signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia put an end to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the Patriotic War, which began on September 27, 2020, ended in a great victory under the leadership of the victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

He pointed out that the trilateral statement is a comprehensive document containing several important provisions.

The minister noted that the tripartite statement was a confirmation of Azerbaijan's glorious victory on the battlefield. He said the statement was a confirmation of Azerbaijan’s glorious victory on the battlefield.

“The statement called for the cessation of hostilities, the deployment of a Russian peacekeeping contingent to ensure security in the region, the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijan, the return of IDPs, the exchange of prisoners of war and hostages, as well as the restoration of all economic and transport ties,” minister Bayramov said. “The joint statement reflected a specific time frame for the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani territories, as President Ilham Aliyev stated from the very first day of military operations.  The document forced Armenia to withdraw its occupying forces from Azerbaijan’s Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin district.  Azerbaijan liberated these territories with a diplomatic victory without additional bloodshed, preventing casualties.”

He continued: “The statement envisaged the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the region, the number of the contingent, military equipment and their location, and underlined that this deployment was to be carried out within a specific time frame. A memorandum was signed on November 11, 2020, on establishing a ceasefire monitoring center, and on January 30, 2021, the Turkish-Russian Joint Monitoring Center was opened in the liberated Aghdam district. It ensured Turkey's official participation in the ceasefire monitoring process.”

“The document also ensured the restoration of the fundamental rights of about a million IDPs who have been victims of Armenia's policy of ethnic cleansing and whose rights to live in their homes had been grossly violated. The statement also reflected the return of IDPs and refugees to Karabakh under the supervision of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.”

The top diplomat noted that one of the other important provisions of the statement is the paragraph included at the insistence of President Ilham Aliyev, which envisages the establishment of a land connection between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and Azerbaijan proper. “This historic step towards unifying the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic with Azerbaijan proper by land is also vital for the region's future economic development. After the signing of the statement, this provision, which the Armenian side tried to obstruct, is in fact in the interests of the region's countries from an economic point of view.”

“One of the most important points about the statement is that it does not contain any provisions on the status of Karabakh. For many years, the Azerbaijani side had stated the possibility of granting Karabakh the status of autonomy within Azerbaijan. This position was expressed within the negotiation process framework. However, the Armenian side acted unreasonably and did not renounce the claims to 'independence.' After restoring our territorial integrity as a result of the Patriotic War, the head of state announced that the status issue was a thing of the past. East Zangazur and Karabakh economic regions were established by the Presidential Decree dated July 7, 2021. Of course, Armenians living in this region will enjoy equally all the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Therefore, the absence of any provision on this issue in the tripartite statement was another manifestation of the thought-out policy,” Minister Bayramov added.

In conclusion, the top diplomat emphasized that the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, is the brilliant diplomatic victory of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

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