Baku, Azerbaijan, April 6
Trend:
Responding to calls by the international community, Azerbaijan has announced unilateral ceasefire on the line of contact of the country's and Armenian troops, where a recent flare-up of violence left dozens of people dead, Pakistan Observer wrote.
"The sagacious decision of Azerbaijan was reflective of the peaceful intentions and credentials of the country," the newspaper wrote. "But regrettably Azerbaijan's goodwill gesture is not being matched by the other side as Armenia, which is providing support to separatists, is threatening to send troops and possibility of full-scale war."
"Azerbaijan has demonstrated maturity and displayed remarkable patience and restraint despite the fact that 20 percent of the country has been forcibly occupied by Armenian ethnic separatists with the full backing of Armenia and manipulations by some other countries," the newspaper wrote.
The newspaper wrote that Nagorno-Karabakh has been occupied by Armenians despite several UN resolutions.
"These resolutions have reaffirmed respect and support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders, demanded the immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of all Armenian forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan," the newspaper wrote.
"But Armenia is not ready to relinquish the land," the newspaper wrote. "We hope that fair-minded members of the international community would express complete solidarity with Azerbaijan to help it regain what legitimately belongs to the country."
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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers.
The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.