The disarmament and complete withdrawal of the remnants of the Armenian armed forces from our country's Karabakh economic region, as well as the restoration of the sovereignty and constitutional order of the Republic of Azerbaijan in those areas, being labeled by the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as an "attack on Nagorno-Karabakh" and "ethnic cleansing" is unacceptable.

Axar.az informs that this was stated by Ayhan Hajizade, the press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a commentary on the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement dated September 19.

Despite claiming to be a peace-loving country, Armenia's reference to the historically and permanently Azerbaijani land of Karabakh as "Nagorno-Karabakh" is a blatant disrespect for Azerbaijan's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The anti-terror measures conducted by our Armed Forces in less than 24 hours on September 19-20 of last year were carried out in full compliance with international law, including international humanitarian law. This restoration of Azerbaijan's sovereignty over its territories is not only one of the most glorious pages in our history but also a triumph of international law and justice.

Despite Armenia's defeat in the 2020 Patriotic War and the commitments it accepted, it has failed to remove its illegal armed groups from the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan over the nearly three years leading up to 2023. It was known that Armenia continued to transfer additional weapons, military equipment, and mines to Azerbaijani territories. Armenia, which continued its mine terrorism against our country, was increasingly encouraging this over time. Armenian officials were promoting the propaganda of the separatist regime they maintained in our territories, with the Prime Minister of Armenia congratulating the separatist regime on its "independence" on September 2, 2023.

Armenia, which has not refrained from its unfounded claims against Azerbaijan's historically and internationally recognized territories and has falsified history, has shown no signs of learning from the miserable situation it finds itself in due to its aggressive policies that grossly violate the principles of international law.

The terrorist acts committed by Armenian armed groups on September 19, 2023, which resulted in the death of six Azerbaijani citizens, overflowed Azerbaijan's patience and made anti-terror measures unavoidable.

Despite the provocative efforts and propaganda from the Armenian side, during the anti-terror measures, the civilian population was not targeted, and civilian infrastructure was not damaged; only legitimate military infrastructure and facilities were neutralized. Despite numerous calls from the Azerbaijani side not to leave residential areas and its reintegration program, the Armenian residents decided to leave Azerbaijani territories. This was their free choice, and labeling it as "ethnic cleansing" demonstrates the hypocrisy of Armenia, which has forcibly expelled Azerbaijanis from the territories it occupied and has committed genocide and mass killings.

After the full restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and state sovereignty, a historic opportunity has arisen for the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ultimately leading to the signing of a final peace agreement. In this context, it is unacceptable for claims against Azerbaijan's territorial integrity to remain in the Armenian constitution and other legislative acts, especially at a time when Azerbaijan is a proponent of peace processes for the security and development of our region, and genuine efforts are being made in this direction. Therefore, it is necessary for Armenia to take appropriate steps to eliminate these claims to avoid missing this historic opportunity for peace.

On this historically significant day for the Azerbaijani people and state, we once again honor the memory of our brave sons who sacrificed their lives for Azerbaijan's independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.

We take pride in our glorious Armed Forces and wish for our state and people to always prevail!