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Azerbaijan on Thursday strongly criticized Russia’s state news agency TASS for referring to the city of Khankendi in the Karabakh region by its former separatist name, “Stepanakert,” calling it an affront to the country’s territorial integrity.
In a statement, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Aykhan Hajizada said the terminology used by TASS was “unacceptable,” and accused the agency of disregarding Azerbaijan’s sovereignty by employing names used by what Baku calls the “former puppet separatist regime.”
“This is a direct disrespect to the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” Hajizada said, calling on Russian authorities to ensure that such naming practices are discontinued in official or media references to Azerbaijani territory.
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Baku urged TASS to issue a formal apology and to correct the terminology in the original report. The Azerbaijani government warned that if no correction is made, legal steps may be taken under domestic law concerning the agency’s operations in the country.
“If such actions continue, Azerbaijan reserves the right to apply reciprocal measures,” the spokesperson added, hinting that Baku could begin using historical names for locations inside Russia in official discourse.
The dispute centers on the city of Khankendi, the administrative center of Karabakh. Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, the city was for years controlled by Armenian separatists who referred to it as “Stepanakert.”
Azerbaijan regained full control over the area following the 2020 and 2023 military operations.
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