BAKU. June 16 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aykhan Hajizada has called unfounded claims that the Azerbaijani flag was raised near the Lachin border checkpoint in Armenian territory on Thursday.
"Yesterday, [...] when the Azerbaijani flag was raised above a bridge [over] Hakari in the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, servicemen of the Azerbaijani State Border Service were fired upon. Azerbaijan built the bridge recently, so any claims that the flag was raised in Armenian territory are unfounded," Hajizada said on a social network on Friday.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry demanded that Armenia stop its military provocations on the border, and be constructive about peace talks and opening regional communications.
"We strongly deny Pashinyan's absurd allegations that Azerbaijan initiates provocations in the border regions. We'd like to point out yet again that any interference by Armenia in the installation of a border checkpoint in Azerbaijan's sovereign territory is an encroachment on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and such actions are at odds with every norm and principle of international law," the ministry said.
The ministry was commenting on a statement made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a government meeting on June 16.
Appropriate conditions have been created for the transparent, safe and streamlined transit of ethnic Armenian residents of the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan through the Lachin checkpoint, the ministry said.
"The provocation staged by Armenia on June 15 aims to cast a shadow on the checkpoint's successful operation and to hinder its safe and unhampered use. The Armenian provocation led to the injury of a serviceman of the Azerbaijani State Border Service on June 15. So it is inadmissible to assess the measures taken by Azerbaijan to investigate the provocation and to ensure the security of the checkpoint and traffic through it as a blockade," the ministry said.
It also demanded that, instead of making unfounded statements, Armenia cease its provocations, demonstrate a responsible and constructive approach to negotiations on a peace agreement and the opening of regional communications, meet its obligations under the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020, including a full pull-out of forces from Azerbaijani territory, and abstain from actions targeting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.
It was reported on Thursday that Armenian gunfire had injured an Azerbaijani serviceman.
"A serviceman of the State Border Service stationed at the Lachin border post was injured by gunfire from Armenian territory at 8:45 a.m. on June 15," the statement said.
According to the Armenian National Security Service, "a group of servicemen of the Azerbaijani State Border Service tried to advance towards the Hakari Bridge to raise their flag in Armenian territory."
Pashinyan said earlier on Friday that "it is already not about concern over Azerbaijan's intentions to carry out ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, but about the start of this campaign." "Otherwise, how does ethnic cleansing take place? Food supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh have been fully blocked, people doing agricultural work have been fired upon, [and] gas and electricity supplies have been blocked," he said at a government meeting.