Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 10
By Farhad Daneshvar - Trend:
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has called for peaceful settlement of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh region based on international law.
If the two sides involved in Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would like, Iran is ready to help to restore tranquility in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Zarif said during a press conference in Tehran, IRNA news agency reported.
Saying that Iran welcomes measures to prevent creating new conflicts in the region, he added that Tehran also welcomes ending the existing conflicts.
He further said that Iranian officials including Iranian President Hassan Rouhani have held talks with Azerbaijani and Armenian authorities to exchange views on recent hostilities in the Caucasus region.
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.