Baku, Azerbaijan, May 18
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
The volume of damage inflicted to mosques and historical monuments during the Armenian shelling of settlements in Azerbaijan in early April is being studied, Mubariz Gurbanli, chairman of Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, said May 18.
In connection with this fact, the committee appealed to the relevant bodies, he told journalists in Baku.
"This issue is being studied," he added. "Restoration of historical monuments, including mosques, along with the restoration of settlements in Azerbaijan, will begin after this process is finished."
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.
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.