Azerbaijan rejects Armenian PM's claims, calls out military buildup and territorial ambitions

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly refuted Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s claims, published in Armenpress on February 10, alleging that Azerbaijan is preparing for an attack on Armenia.

According to MFA spokesperson Aykhan Hajizadeh, Pashinyan's statements are “aimed at distorting reality and misleading the world community.” He noted that while the Armenian prime minister justifies military expansion, Armenia itself “maintained more than ten thousand trained armed formations equipped with heavy weapons on the territory of Azerbaijan for three years after the end of the 44-day war.”

Hajizadeh pointed out that “since the end of the 44-day war, Armenia's military spending has increased almost threefold, from about $600 million in 2021 to $1.6 billion in 2024,” and that the country is now acquiring “offensive weapons that can deliver long-range strikes mainly to Azerbaijani territories.”

Addressing Pashinyan's remarks on the Western Azerbaijan Community, Hajizadeh rejected them as “completely unfounded,” stating that the organization’s main goal is the “safe and dignified return” of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia, in accordance with international law. He also criticized Armenia’s continued territorial claims, warning that they pose “a direct threat to Azerbaijan’s security.”

Hajizadeh further noted that Armenia “grossly violated and degraded the arms control mechanisms in which it participates” and “illegally deployed” military equipment in Azerbaijani territories for decades. He called on Armenia to “abandon statements and actions that undermine the prospects for achieving peace.”