Members of the press in Armenia questioned Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan regarding the recent remarks by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the 1988 anti-Armenian Sumgait pogroms. Here's the ministry's transcript of that exchange.

Question: The President of Azerbaijan has delivered comprehensive address on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the city of Sumgait, wherein he referred to the issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, particularly the anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait. The President of Azerbaijan has also revealed consistent policy of Azerbaijan to change the demographic situation in Nagorno-Karabakh during the Soviet era, expressing his regret that it had not been eventually accomplished. How would you comment on this?

Answer: We condemn any attempts to speculate on issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, particularly the tragedy of Sumgait, in the context of addressing domestic political issues.

Sumgait pogroms have been well documented, and Azerbaijan's distortion of the facts is a dangerous manifestation of denial that incites and advocates hatred towards Armenians and genocidal tendencies. Mass atrocities and ethnic cleansing committed against the Armenians,  and the lack of condemnation and moreover justification of massacres in Baku, Kirovabad, Maragha, Talish and elsewhere, government-fueled anti-Armenian rhetoric, glorification of Ramil Safarov and other murderers of Armenians; all these undermine confidence building and damage the peace process.

By revealing Azerbaijan’s intentions and the pursued policy of altering Artsakh’s demographics through decreasing the Armenian population and increasing the Azerbaijani population, the President of Azerbaijan further emphasizes the validity of the primary concerns of the Armenian side regarding the existential physical security of the people of Artsakh both in 1988 and today.

We urge the authorities of Azerbaijan to demonstrate political will in making genuine assessment of the mass atrocities committed in Sumgait, to refrain from denialism and  to respect the dignity of the victims and survivors, to genuinely contribute to the preparation of peoples to peace.