“We strongly condemn Armenia's harsh reaction to the recent visit of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan to Karabakh and East Zangezur, and view this as open disrespect to our country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

These views were expressed in a statement by the Western Azerbaijan Community, Operativ Media reports.

“At a time when Azerbaijan and Armenia are moving closer to peace, such destructive steps deal a blow to the peace process, damage mutual trust, and play into the hands of revanchist forces,” the statement continued. “The Western Azerbaijan Community considers Armenia's approach as an attempt to interfere in Azerbaijan's internal affairs and a step aimed at reigniting irredentism. This also demonstrates that Armenia is not sincere in the peace and normalization process.

Instead of making groundless claims regarding Azerbaijan's sovereign territories and historical topics, Armenian society should, first of all, focus on ending the denial, distortion, and destruction of the rich cultural and historical heritage created by the Azerbaijani people on the territory of Armenia. This would be a practical step toward establishing lasting peace between the two countries and societies.”