Armenia's proposal to withdraw troops of both countries from border is unacceptable: FM

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said that Armenia's proposal to withdraw troops of both countries from the border is unacceptable for official Baku, Azernews reports.

The minister said at a joint press conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on December 14 that the Azerbaijani-Armenian border is not delimited.

"If troops are withdrawn from the undelimitated border, who will give guarantees that nothing will happen there? This proposal is unacceptable for the Azerbaijani side. The Azerbaijani army is defending its borders today. I do not agree with the statement of the Armenian Foreign Minister regarding the withdrawal of troops from the border.

After 30 years, the Azerbaijani army has restored its borders at the cost of the lives of Martyrs. Azerbaijani borders can be protected only by Azerbaijani soldiers," the minister said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that the region is closer than ever to achieving peace and security.

"Relations between our brotherly countries are deepening day by day. We are working to fulfil all provisions of the Shusha Declaration," Minister said

The Turkish Foreign Minister added that today, the security of energy and communication routes is one of the most important issues in the world.

"We believe that the process of transporting Caspian oil via TANAP to Turkiye and from there to Europe will be expanded."

The minister emphasised that the 44-day Patriotic War created new opportunities for the region.

"The sides should do their best to ensure peace and stability in the region. Unfortunately, the Armenian diaspora continues to make provocations against Azerbaijan in Europe. However, Armenia should have made efforts to normalise relations [with Azerbaijan] and sign a peace agreement. The region is closer than ever to achieving peace and security, and we will continue cooperation with Azerbaijan in this direction," Fidan said.