Armenia has lambasted remarks made by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on May 28 in the town of Lachin (Berdzor) calling for the dissolution of Karabakh’s “separatist” local government as warmongering.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry, on May 29, accused Baku of threatening to resort to force, making “genocidal threats” and "preparing the ground for more aggressive action against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh".

“There is no doubt that the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan cannot be interpreted as the authority to implement ethnic cleansing against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Republic of Armenia draws the attention of the international community, including the mediating actors, to the fact that the President of Azerbaijan, with his statement, is preparing the ground for another aggressive action against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and depriving them of the right to live freely, safely and with dignity in their homeland,” the ministry’s statement reads.

The ministry also accused Aliyev of threatening to occupy new sovereign territories of Armenia by use of force. 

Azerbaijan regained control of Lachin during the 2020 Karabakh war.