Baku slams Medinsky's Karabakh remarks

Azerbaijan has strongly condemned remarks by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky for calling Karabakh a "disputed territory." Baku slammed the "regrettable" statement, stressing Karabakh is its sovereign land, a fact that it noted even Moscow officially recognises.

Azerbaijan has strongly condemned recent remarks by Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the President of the Russian Federation, after he distorted historical facts and referred to the Karabakh region as a "disputed territory" during a June 9 interview with Russia Today.

Aykhan Hajizada, spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, described Medinsky's statement as both “regrettable and surprising.” He stressed that Karabakh is sovereign Azerbaijani territory and has never held a "disputed" status, a fact he noted has been officially and repeatedly acknowledged by the Russian Federation itself.
 
Hajizada voiced particular disbelief at the source of the comments. "It is surprising that Medinsky, an assistant to the President of the Russian Federation and chairman of the Interagency Commission for Historical Education in Russia, does not know that Karabakh has never been a disputed territory," he noted.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson was unequivocal in his assertion of Azerbaijan's sovereignty. "We would like to remind you that Karabakh is the eternal land of Azerbaijan," Hajizada declared. "Russia itself has recognised and recognises Karabakh as the territory of Azerbaijan." He further questioned Medinsky's grasp of his own country's official policy, pointing out the irony given Russia's former role in peace negotiations: "At the same time, the questionable point is that the Assistant to the President of the country that co-chaired the Minsk Group either does not understand or does not want to understand the position of his state on this issue."

The comparison drawn by the Russian presidential aide between the conflict in Karabakh and Russia's war in Ukraine was also flatly rejected. "Unfortunately, the Russian Presidential Assistant compares the Russian-Ukrainian war with the situation in Karabakh. Such a comparison is inappropriate,"  Hajizada stated. "Azerbaijan has never violated the territorial integrity of any country and has not waged an aggressive war against any country."
 
He emphasised that Azerbaijan's military actions were conducted entirely within its internationally recognised borders. "Azerbaijan carried out the Patriotic War and anti-terrorist measures in its sovereign and internationally recognised territories in 2020 and 2023," the statement clarified. "The 44-day Patriotic War and the 2023 anti-terrorist measures, which lasted less than 1 day, resulted in the complete victory of Azerbaijan and the defeat of Armenia, and the occupation by Armenia was ended in accordance with the norms and principles of international law."


Concluding with a direct and pointed message,  Hajizada offered a word of caution to the Russian official. "Our advice to Mr. Medinsky is that he should not harm interstate relations by making false claims on issues that are outside his jurisdiction."

In the wake of the strong reaction from Baku, Russia's Foreign Ministry sought to manage the fallout, with its spokesperson reaffirming Moscow's official recognition of Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory and suggesting Medinsky's comments were made in a historical context. However, the incident has underscored Baku's firm stance on any language that questions its complete sovereignty over the Karabakh region.

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