Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.29
By Sabina Ahmedova - Trend:
France wants a sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, French ambassador to Azerbaijan Pascal Monnier said to journalists on Jan. 29, commenting on the situation on the border line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
The diplomat also said that France welcomed a recent meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Vienna.
"The parties to the conflict should abandon provocations which aggravate the situation and further complicate the position," Monnier stressed.
The situation on the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops has been escalating. Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire status over thousand times in the last few days.
The ceasefire has been violated on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in different positions 250 times a day, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said today.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Translated by M.L.
Edited by S.M.