The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan rejected Armenia's request for special security guarantees for approximately 120,000 Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, stating that they are adequately protected. The Nagorno-Karabakh region, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, has been the focal point of conflicts between the two neighbors since before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, relating to tensions between Armenians and Azerbaijani Turks for over a century.
After intense fighting and a ceasefire mediated by Russia, Azerbaijan regained control of areas previously held by Armenians in the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region in 2020. In what seemed to be a breakthrough, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was quoted last month as saying that Armenia acknowledges Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan but seeks guarantees from Baku for the Armenian residents of the area.
However, in an interview with Reuters, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov stated that these guarantees are unnecessary and that the request amounts to interference in Azerbaijan's internal affairs. He added, "We do not accept this precondition for several reasons." He clarified, "The most fundamental aspect is that this is a sovereign internal issue. The Azerbaijani constitution and several international treaties that Azerbaijan is a part of guarantee all necessary conditions to ensure the rights of these residents."
He emphasized that Armenians would still be able to speak their language, receive education in it, and preserve their culture if they integrate into Azerbaijani society and state structures, like other ethnic and religious minorities.
