On 17 August, the Azerbaijani MFA released a statement saying that Armenia is planning a military strike on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja.

“After the Armenian military-political circles’ statements that Azerbaijan’s large settlements and strategically important civil facilities such as Mingachevir HPP were viewed as ‘military targets’, Armenia is now trying to threaten with a military strike on the Azerbaijani city of Ganja through the so-called ‘head’ of the illegal regime created in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan,” the ministry noted.

Furthermore, the Azerbaijani MFA touched upon the settlement policy pursued by Armenia in Azerbaijan's occupied territories. The ministry recalled Yerevan’s plan to settle ethnic Armenians in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan after the deadly Beirut explosion (Caucasus Watch reported), which they perceive as an exploitation of the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East for its nefarious political purposes.

The ministry also mentioned Armenia's illegal actions in changing Sarsang water reservoir’s infrastructure which meant that Azerbaijan lost access due to the Armenian occupation. Azerbaijan contacted the OSCE Minsk group over the move.

The Armenian MFA did not release an official response so far.