Pashinyan's claims about absence of Armenian army in Karabakh illogical - Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry

BAKU. July 6 (Interfax) - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan refusing to recognize the illegal armed formations still present in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan as being Armenia's are illogical, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said.

"In accordance with international law and Armenian obligations under the trilateral declaration, instead of removing the Armenian forces from Azerbaijan, reiterating claims that the armed forces currently in the Azerbaijani territory do not belong to Armenia is testament that Yerevan has not abandoned its flawed policy," the ministry said in a statement obtained by Interfax on Thursday.

The statements made by Pashinyan at a government meeting on Thursday are unfounded, it said.

On Thursday Pashinyan stated that the forces operating in Nagorno-Karabakh were the defense army of the non-recognized Nagorno-Karabakh republic, and not Armenian servicemen, whose withdrawal is demanded by Azerbaijan.

"Azerbaijan keeps bringing unfounded accusations against Armenia. For instance, Azerbaijan continues to demand that Armenia withdraw its army units from Nagorno-Karabakh although Armenia has no troops there. Please note that there is no Armenian army in Nagorno-Karabakh," Pashinyan said at a government meeting on Thursday.

Asserting that the armed forces in the Azerbaijani territory, which operate under the command of the Armenian Defense Ministry, are not Armenian is illogical, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said.

"If Armenia is really keen on peace, it should respect, in deeds not words, Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty and immediately remove the illegal Armenian armed forces, which undermine regional peace and security, from the Azerbaijani territory," the statement said

Armenia's refusal to provide free passage to Nakhchivan, contrary to the trilateral declaration, is evidence of Yerevan disregarding its obligations, the ministry added.