Below is the full statement released by the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

“The narratives presented by the Azerbaijani side during a meeting with representatives of the diplomatic corps at the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 18 resemble diplomatic preparations for launching concrete actions aimed at starting a new military escalation in the region and carrying out ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The narrative of the Azerbaijani officials during the meeting with foreign diplomats accredited in Azerbaijan seeks to prescribe co-responsibility to the international community in the implementation of the policy of ethnic cleansings in Nagorno-Karabakh and aggression against Armenia, which is unacceptable.

"During the abovementioned meeting, the Azerbaijani representatives claimed that the Republic of Armenia is rejecting all proposals on de-escalating the tension. It is unclear what proposals Azerbaijan is referring to, and the readout on the meeting with the foreign diplomats doesn’t clarify the issue. It is noteworthy that the proposal on mirrored withdrawal of troops from the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border is still in force and the Republic of Armenia is ready to get involved in the discussions around implementing it as soon as possible. Azerbaijan’s claims that the Republic of Armenia has created a regime in Nagorno-Karabakh have nothing to do with reality. The support of the Republic of Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh has humanitarian nature, the necessity of which is further underscored with the ongoing humanitarian crisis resulting from the illegal blockade of Lachin Corridor. The Republic of Armenia welcomes the delivery of the first humanitarian goods into Nagorno-Karabakh after a long halt, and hopes that it will have a continuous and stable nature.  At the same time, we find it noteworthy that the ongoing, nine-month blockade of Lachin Corridor is a gross violation of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement and the 22 February and 6 July binding rulings of the International Court of Justice. There wouldn’t be statements on willingness to provide humanitarian support to Nagorno-Karabakh by Armenia, international partners, and even Azerbaijan, had Azerbaijan itself not created the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh with its illegal actions and not obstructed UN agencies and other international partners from accessing Nagorno-Karabakh. Along with blockading Lachin Corridor, Azerbaijan has disrupted gas and electricity supplies into Nagorno-Karabakh, which makes it obvious that the Azerbaijani narrative on the blockade of the corridor is fake: if Azerbaijan is explaining the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor with fake news on weapons and ammunitions transfers through the corridor into Nagorno-Karabakh, it is incomprehensible what else other than electricity can be transferred through electricity transmission lines, and what else other than natural gas can be supplied through a gas pipeline. Regarding the Azerbaijani claims on alleged presence of the Army of the Republic of Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh, we once again emphasize that the Republic of Armenia does not maintain an army in Nagorno-Karabakh, while the fake claims on Armenia laying mines in Azerbaijani territory have been refuted by the 22 February 2023 decision of the International Court of Justice.

"We find it necessary to once again underscore that the Republic of Armenia reiterates its commitment to the peace agenda, as well as the 6 October 2022 Prague and 14 May 2023 Brussels agreements. We note with concern that so far official Baku hasn’t publicly confirmed its commitment particularly to the 14 May 2023 Brussels agreement, which is a key factor for the regional tension.

"Azerbaijan’s arguments regarding Armenia’s development of its military capabilities are likewise incomprehensible. The Republic of Armenia has numerously stated that it doesn’t have any intentions to commit aggressive actions against its neighbors, while the military reforms seek to ensure its own territorial security.

"Regarding the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh, we see the way to ease the tension through dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert, and we hope that our international partners who are interested in regional stability will take additional measures for creating reliable mechanisms for such a dialogue,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in the statement.