Baku calls on Armenians of Khankendi to stay

Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan is well aware the departure of Armenian residents living in Khankendi is their personal decision and has nothing in common with forced relocation, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in response to Pashinyan's recent statement.

"If some Armenian residents of Karabakh does not wish to live and abide by the laws of Azerbaijan, we cannot force them to do so. On the contrary, we call on the Armenian residents not to leave their places of residence and to become part of Azerbaijan's multi-ethnic society," the ministry said.

Rights of Armenians in Khankendi

Representative of the President of Azerbaijan for Special Assignments Elchin Amirbayov said Azerbaijan is not aiming at limiting any opportunities for the Armenian population of Khankendi.

"There is no intention from our side to limit the opportunities for the local population to enjoy their language, religion or culture, as it is the case for the rest of the Azerbaijani population," he said.