Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.18
By Seba Aghayeva - Trend:
China hopes that the sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can keep calm and exercise restraint so as to avoid escalating the situation, and resolve the issue through consultation and dialogue, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said at a briefing on Nov.18.
He was commenting on the recent incident on the line of contact of Azerbaijani and Armenian armies.
Hong Lei also expressed hope that OSCE Minsk Group will play a constructive role in this issue.
An Armenian Mi-24 military helicopter flying 1,700 meters northeast of the Kengerli village of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district attacked the Azerbaijani army positions on Nov. 12. The helicopter was shot down by the Azerbaijani side. The wreckage of the downed helicopter fell on an area located 500 meters away from the frontline.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Edited by SI