BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 1. The reference to
the city of Khankendi as “Stepanakert” by TASS, the official state
news agency of the Russian Federation, is considered as an act of
disrespect and insult to the territorial integrity of our country,
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press secretary Aykhan Hajizade said,
commenting on questions from local media regarding the statement by
the special representative of the President of Russia for
international cultural cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy regarding the
dismantling of the bust of Aivazovsky, as well as the use of the
name “Stepanakert” in a publication by the TASS news agency
regarding the Azerbaijani city of Khankendi, Trend reports.
“We would like to remind the Russian side that the renaming of
the city of Khankendi to “Stepanakert” in 1923 in the
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast—unlawfully created on the
historical lands of Azerbaijan—was a disrespect to Azerbaijan, as
it was named in honor of Bolshevik Stepan Shaumyan, who, together
with Dashnak Armenians, carried out massacres against the
Azerbaijani people.
We expect the Russian side to cease the distortion of
Azerbaijani toponyms and the use of names adopted by the former
separatist puppet regime to refer to our territories. If such
actions continue, in accordance with the principle of reciprocity,
Azerbaijan may refer to various toponyms in Russia by their
historical names.
We expect an apology and an appropriate correction from the TASS
News Agency on this matter. Otherwise, in accordance with the law,
relevant measures will be taken regarding TASS’s operations in
Azerbaijan,” Aykhan Hajizade said.
