By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijan has said that it will not hold talks with those who present themselves as representatives of the Armenian population living in Karabakh but are, in fact, from outside the region.

“The Azerbaijani side declared that it is ready to hold a dialogue with the representatives who have the right to represent the Armenian residents, and not with those who come to the Karabakh region from outside and present themselves as representatives of the Armenian residents,” a statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry read on Wednesday.

The statement was released in response to comments made during a joint press conference between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Luxembourgian counterpart Jan Asselborn.

It added that Yerevan should not interfere in Baku’s internal affairs and act in accordance with the norms and principles of international law, as well as the Prague and Sochi agreements.

The statement also criticized Asselborn’s comments as “biased”, “ignorant” and “completely contrary to the relevant principles of international law,” noting that “the rights and security of residents of Armenian origin living in the (Karabakh) region will be ensured in accordance with the constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan and its legislative acts.”

“With its statement, the Armenian side demonstrates once again that it is not interested in peace in the region,” the statement said.

It further added that Yerevan’s rejection of Baku’s proposal to establish a border checkpoint to stop the misuse of the Lachin road, connecting Armenia to the Karabakh region, shows the country’s intent to repeat its claims that the protests have created a "blockade" and a "tense humanitarian situation" in the region.

It said the evaluation of Azerbaijan's proposal to establish a border checkpoint by Armenia as “an application of force” demonstrates that Yerevan is “not interested in providing transparency on the Lachin road.”

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, during 44 days of heavy fighting, Azerbaijan liberated a significant part of Karabakh, and a Russian-brokered peace agreement was subsequently signed.

The peace agreement has not, however, ended conflict along the border and other disputes between the two countries.