Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 13
By Anakhanum Khidayatova - Trend:
The statement made by the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini on Apr. 12 is perhaps the most important statement in reference to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Peter Tase, political analyst, expert on international relations at the Marquette University, told Trend Apr. 13.
During a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasburg, Mogherini said the current status quo on Azerbaijan's occupied territories can only lead to more violence.
Tase says he is surprised why the US State Department has not issued a similar press release where it condemns the current status quo on Azerbaijan's occupied territories.
Armenia must urgently withdraw from Azerbaijan's occupied lands, the expert stressed.
Armenia has inflicted so much pain and suffering to the Azerbaijani nation, said Tase, adding that Azerbaijan has been very patient in dealing with problems of refugees and IDPs.
It is time for international community organizations (EU, OSCE) and major world powers (United States, Japan, Pakistan, Indonesia) to impose economic sanctions against Armenia for as long as Yerevan continues to occupy Azerbaijani lands, added the expert.
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.
Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry earlier said. Ignoring the agreement, the Armenian side again started violating the ceasefire.
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.
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