The Milli Majlis (Parliament) of Azerbaijan has responded to the statement of Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Alen Simonyan regarding the establishment of a border checkpoint by Azerbaijan on Lachin-Khankendi road, AzVision.az reports.

The statement said the comments of the Armenian official are unacceptable, they aim to interfere in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan and does not promote peace and stability in the region.

"Armenian officials and the speaker of the Parliament should refrain from using the international community as a tool for a smear campaign against Azerbaijan, including distorting the well-known decision of the International Court of Justice. Ensuring border security, including traffic safety, is a necessary condition for national security and sovereignty, as well as for the rule of law. The legitimate right of Azerbaijani government is to prevent the systematic and large-scale use of the Lachin-Khankendi road for illegal purposes and to ensure the security of the border," the statement reads.

The Armenian side claims that establishing the border checkpoint contradicts the Trilateral Statement of the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia dated 10 November 2020.

The Azerbaijani Parliament said these claims are completely unfounded and far from the truth.

"It was Armenia that, grossly violating the provisions of the above statement, has used the Lachin-Khankendi road for illegal military purposes. In particular, contrary to paragraph 4 of the Trilateral Statement, the rotation of the personnel of the Armenian armed formations that continue to remain on the territory of Azerbaijan and the transportation of weapons and ammunition took place," said the statement.

The Azerbaijani parliament said that transportation of mines along this road and their subsequent installation on the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan caused particularly grave consequences.

"As a result of mine explosions, a large number of Azerbaijani citizens were killed and/or injured. In turn, the country fully ensures the unhindered movement of people, vehicles and humanitarian goods along the Lachin-Khankendi road. We call upon the Armenian side to refrain from actions aimed at escalating tensions in the region, hindering the holding of peace talks under various excuses, and to approach efforts for establishing relations with Azerbaijan on the principles of territorial integrity and sovereignty of the countries," the statement reads.

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