“The accusations by Armenia that Azerbaijan is conducting deportations and ethnic cleansing in the region are absurd, and such accusations are intended to cover up the systematic and consistent policy of ethnic cleansing committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis in the territory of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the 20th century,” Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
“Since 1987, when the territorial claims against Azerbaijan arose again, it is a historical fact that about 1 million Azerbaijanis were deported and ethnically cleansed, and massacres were committed by Armenia against Azerbaijanis. It is also worth reminding that even during the 44-day Patriotic War, the death toll among Azerbaijani civilians in the areas far from the war zone was far higher than the alleged number of Armenian civilians who were killed. All these are irrefutable evidence of which side is targeting the civilian population,” the ministry added.