Baku rejects Moscow claim on Azerbaijani troops’ withdrawal from Farrukh village

Baku has dismissed as inaccurate the Russian Defence Ministry statement on the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Farrukh village in Karabakh’s Khojaly region.

In a statement published on March 27, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said: “The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry regrets that the points reflected in the Russian Defence Ministry statement dated March 27, 2022, are inaccurate. There has been no change in the Azerbaijani army positions in the village of Farrukh, which is part of our country’s sovereign territories, and in the surrounding highlands. The information about the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani army units from those positions does not reflect the truth. Our army is in full control of the operational situation.”

The ministry also rejected the Russian ministry’s claims alleging the Azerbaijani truce violation and the case of injury among the Azerbaijani servicemen. It once again recalled the Russian Defence Ministry that there is no administrative-territorial unit called “Nagorno-Karabakh” on the Azerbaijani territory.

“The use of the term ‘Nagorno-Karabakh’ in the Russian Defence Ministry statements on March 26 and 27 is disrespectful to the Republic of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, which is recognized and accepted by the international community, including the Russian Federation,” the statement added.

The ministry recalled the Russian Defence Ministry that the first paragraph of the Declaration on Allied Interaction signed by the two countries’ presidents on February 22, 2022, states that Russia and Azerbaijan establish their relations based on mutual respect for territorial integrity and inviolability of state borders, as well as non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit, peaceful settlement of disputes and non-use of force or threat of force.

Furthermore, Russia and Azerbaijan join forces in the fight against and neutralization of international terrorism, extremism, and separatism, as stated in Article 18 of the Declaration, the ministry added.

“At the same time, with this statement, the Russian Defence Ministry disrespects the declaration signed by Russian President and Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.
The [Azerbaijani] Defence Ministry reiterates that there is no village called “Furukh” in Azerbaijan’s Khojaly region. FARRUKH is the name of the mentioned village. We hope that the name of the village is correctly indicated in the following statements,” the ministry added.

It should be noted this village enters the administrative area of Pirlar village in Khojaly region located 16 km of Asgaran settlement and 32 km of Khankandi.

The Azerbaijani armed forces regained full control over the village, clearing it from illegal Armenian armed groups, who had to leave Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territories in Karabakh under the ceasefire deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on November 10, 2020.

By Vafa Ismayilova