BAKU, November 18. /TASS/. The Azerbaijani foreign ministry has slammed the European Union for interfering into the process of the reintegration of Armenians in Karabakh into Azerbaijani society.

"We consider a EU official’s remarks on the initiative of establishing an international mechanism for ensuring the rights and security of Armenian residents of Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region <…> as interference into the process of reintegration in Azerbaijan," the ministry’s spokesperson Ayhan Gadjizade said in a commentary.

European External Action Service (EEAS) Spokesman Peter Stano said in an interview with the Armenpress news agency earlier on Friday that the European Union demands that Azerbaijan guarantee safe return of Armenians to Nagorno-Karabakh. He also said that the EU demands international access and international presence in Nagorno-Karabakh as part of these guarantees.

The Azerbaijani foreign ministry spokesperson stressed that Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan and will ensure the rights and security of the Armenian population of this region in conformity with its constitution.

"Once again, we reiterate Azerbaijan’s firm commitment too the normalization of relations with Armenia and the peaceful agenda. This position has been proved to the consistent steps we have been taking as an initiator of the peace agreement since November 2020," Gadjizade said.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union’s break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening "an act of large-scale aggression." Russia called on the conflicting sides to prevent civilian casualties and return to a diplomatic solution. On September 20, an agreement was reached to stop hostilities. On September 28, President of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Samvel Shakhramanyan signed a decree dissolving the republic from January 1, 2024. People were asked to consider Baku’s reintegration terms and make up their minds about whether stay or leave the area.