The recent belligerent statement made by the regime set up in Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region is another manifestation of Yerevan’s aggression, hatred against Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijanophobia, EDNews.net reports citing Azernews.

The Azerbaijani Community of the Nagorno-Karabakh made this remark in response to the statement made by the separatist regime’s leader that Armenian can strike the Azerbaijani city of Ganja.

“This statement, voiced through the criminal regime established in the occupied territories of our country, is another manifestation of Armenia's aggression, hatred against our country and Azerbaijanophobia,” the community said.

The community noted that targeting a city like Ganja with an ancient history, which has a special place in the world cultural heritage, indicates Armenia’s dangerous policy against humanity.

“This once again shows that Armenia has raised terrorism and vandalism to the level of state policy and continues to do so today. This has been confirmed in the recent document of Armenia's national security strategy. It is pointless to expect anything different from the Armenian leadership, which rejoices in the destruction of an ancient civilization that has played an important role in human history,” the statement reads.

The community stressed that occupying Armenia seeks to build its "welfare" on the life and heritage of Azerbaijanis that it has destroyed.

“On the one hand, this country threatens to massacre the civilian population of Ganja, on the other hand, it is building underground shelters to ‘protect the civilian population’ living in the occupied territories. This shows that Armenia is not interested in a peaceful solution to the conflict and is looking for opportunities and pretexts for new attacks on our country,” the community noted.

Furthermore, the community reiterated its support for the peaceful resolution of the conflict through negotiations and the peaceful coexistence of the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on August 17 also commented on the threat voiced by the Armenian side about possible strikes on Ganja, describing it “a clear demonstration of Armenia's intention not to eliminate the consequences of the conflict, but to strengthen the occupation situation created by the use of illegal force.

“After the Armenian military-political circles’ statements that Azerbaijan’s large settlements and strategically important civil facilities such as Mingachevir HPP were viewed as “military targets”, Armenia is now trying to threaten with a military strike on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja through the so-called “head” of the illegal regime created in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,” the ministry said.

It should be noted that recently Armenia stepped up its military provocation not only on the line of contact along the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is the main source of tension but also on the state border with Azerbaijan. On July 12, Armenian forces shelled Azerbaijan's positions in Tovuz, Azerbaijan's strategically-important district on the border. The Armenian attack killed 12 Azerbaijani servicemen, including an army general, as well as a 76-year-old civilian. Armenian forces retreated after suffering losses in Azerbaijan's retaliation. 

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.