Azerbaijan, Baku, 5 March / corr Trend I.Alizade / Azerbaijan stated that by violating the ceasefire regime on the frontline, Armenia tries to distract the Armenian people and the world community from the tension, chaos and anarchy within the country.
"After the presidential elections Armenia is suffering from chaos and anarchy. The Armenian authorities try to distract the attention from this interior situation through provocations on the frontline. The violation of the ceasefire regime is linked with that and there is no other reason," Ziyafat Asgarov, the first deputy speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament, stated in talks with journalists on 5 March.
Starting in the early hours of 4 March, shooting began on the frontline of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan in several directions.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that during the gun fire with Armenia, 12 Armenian soldiers were killed and 15 more were injured, whereas four Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and injured.
Asgarov said that despite provocation by Armenia, the violation of the ceasefire regime cannot grow into a full scale war. " Azerbaijan's position on Nagorno-Karabakh is well-known and it entails a peaceable resolution of the conflict. Therefore, the Armenian authorities should come to reason and observe the ceasefire regime in line with demands from the international community."
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since 1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In 1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.
