Azerbaijan was obliged to launch counterterrorism measures on the ground, assistant to the President of Azerbaijan - head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmet Hajiyev said in an interview with CNN.
Hajiyev strongly reiterated that Baku had made it clear that, if illegal armed forces of Armenia in Karabakh disarm and demilitarize, the anti-terror activities Azerbaijan launched would be completed.
"Azerbaijan as any country in the world has right to protect its sovereignty. On multiple occasions Azerbaijan has said that there are 10,000 Armenian soldiers. This was a threat not only to Azerbaijan, but to the whole region. But this is in the past now. We are looking forward to provide rights and security to average Armenian residents of Karabakh under the constitution of Azerbaijan, and ending with the "grey zone" that has been in place for 30 years in Azerbaijan. This "grey zone" is a remnant of 30-year long Armenian occupation," Hikmet Hajiyev said.
The assistant to the Azerbaijani President stressed that Azerbaijan was not aiming at Armenian civilians in Karabakh, contrariwise, Azerbaijani armed forces has used precision guided munitions and had been very selective and very accurate in regard with target neutralization,
Hikmet Hajiyev added that all civilians have been informed beforehand via SMS.
Anti-terrorist operation in Karabakh
The local anti-terrorist activities of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan were launched to restore the constitutional order in the entire territory of the Karabakh Economic Region. The civilian population and civilian infrastructure were not targets, only legitimate military targets of the Armenian Armed Forces were taken out of action.
The anti-terrorist operation made it possible to ensure the rovisions of the Trilateral Statement signed on 9-10 November 2020, supress military provocations, sabotage and terrorist attacks in the Karabakh Economic Region, secure the withdrawal of formations of Armenia’s armed forces from Azerbaijan, and thereby provide the safety of the civilian population and restoration work in the region.
