Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 14
By Saba Aghayeva - Trend:
The incident with the military helicopter in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan testifies to the destructive position of Armenia in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, acting spokesman for the Azerbaijani foreign ministry Hikmet Hajiyev told reporters Nov. 14.
He said that Azerbaijan participates in the negotiation process to resolve the conflict as part of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country.
"During the Paris meeting, French President Francois Hollande urged to start working on a peace agreement and Azerbaijan confirmed its willingness," he said.
"While voicing its unconstructive position, Armenia continues to pursue the policy hampering the peace process," he said. "The helicopter incident testifies to this."
He also recalled that the Azerbaijani foreign ministry sent a letter to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries in 2012.
"In response to Armenia's any attempt to violate the airspace of Azerbaijan by military aircrafts, the appropriate actions will be taken," the letter says.
On Nov. 12, at 13:45 (UTC/GMT +4 hours) a Mi-24 helicopter flying 1700 meters northeast of the Kengerli village of Aghdam district attacked the positions of the Azerbaijani army. The Azerbaijani side shot down one helicopter. The debris of the downed helicopter fell on an area located 500 meters away from the frontline.
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 two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
edited by CN