Armenia’s Foreign Ministry voiced “serious concerns” that Azerbaijan is preparing ground for new aggressions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the foreign ministry cited Baku’s ongoing “fake” reports of ceasefire violations by the Artsakh Defense Army “in the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The foreign ministry said that the Russian peacekeeping contingent has recorded ceasefire violations only by Azerbaijan.

“The Republic of Armenia has serious concerns that the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan, despite its own obligations, is preparing the ground for another aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Armenian foreign ministry said citing previous instances where Baku has claimed ceasefire violations by Armenian forces to stage its attacks.

“We call on the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation to strictly follow the observance of the ceasefire regime and investigate all the incidents voiced by Azerbaijan, publicly presenting the entire situation on the ground,” official Yerevan said in its statement.

“At the same time, the Republic of Armenia reiterates its position on the need to send an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh,” said the foreign ministry adding that such a mission can also provide reliable and unbiased information both about the situation in the line of contact between the sides and about the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The Republic of Armenia is convinced that addressing the issues of rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework of an international mechanism through the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue is urgent and should not be delayed, and calls on the international community to support this process,” Armenia’s foreign ministry said.

Azerbaijan responded by accusing Armenia of impeding the peace process through “lies.”

“Instead of impeding peace efforts and making fabricated announcements, Armenia, through actions, should respect Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, of which the Karabakh region is a part,” said Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry in a statement issued on Tuesday.

“Armenia’s Foreign Ministry duplicitously places the blame for military provocations on Azerbaijan, while encouraging the dispatch of an international mission to the Karabakh region, which is against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country, thus interfering in the internal affairs of Azerbaijan,” said Baku, adding that such actions demonstrate that Armenia is ignoring its international obligations.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry also called on Armenia to “immediately withdraw the Armenian armed formations from the territory of Azerbaijan.”