Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 28
Trend:
Armenia's provocative actions are aimed at eliminating the Azerbaijani population by all means, the Azerbaijani Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Huseyngulu Baghirov told reporters in Aghdam district Apr. 28.
"Armenia's statements about continuing the negotiations are aimed at only gaining time," he added.
"Armenia continues to wage a fight against the Azerbaijani civilians. The destroyed houses and casualties among the Azerbaijani civilians prove that," said Baghirov.
"Azerbaijan is no longer the country it used to be in 1990s. Its power has increased," he added. "It is a life-or-death fight for us. We have no other choice. Therefore, the Azerbaijani people have united around their president and fight to liberate the occupied territories."
Baghirov noted that Azerbaijan has no territorial claims against other states.
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.
