Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 4
By Ilhama Isabalayeva - Trend:
Pakistan, Belarus and Georgia have openly expressed readiness to support the fair settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, said Ali Ahmadov, deputy prime minister, deputy chairman and executive secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party.
Speaking to reporters Apr. 4, Ahmadov praised this readiness, adding this indicates that the leaderships of those countries no longer want to tolerate the injustice against Azerbaijan.
"That, in turn, shows that Azerbaijan is not alone in this conflict," added Ahmadov. "All this is the result of the successful foreign policy pursued by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the victory of diplomacy."
"Azerbaijan's policy of multiplying its supporters by bringing its fair position to the world is yielding positive results," said Ahmadov, adding this indicates the weakening of the positions of Armenians, who occupied Azerbaijan's lands, and the positions of their protectors.
On the night of Apr. 2, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from Armenians, who were using large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. Azerbaijani settlements near the frontline densely populated by civilians were shelled as well.
A counter-attack was carried out following the provocations of the Armenian armed forces on the night of Apr. 2.
Six Armenian tanks, 15 gun mounts and reinforced engineering structures were destroyed and more than 100 servicemen of the Armenian armed forces were wounded and killed during the shootouts.
Twelve servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces heroically died, one Mi-24 helicopter was shot down and one tank was damaged on a mine.
Three more soldiers of Azerbaijan were killed during the past day and night as a result of the ceasefire violation.
On Apr. 4, Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed three tanks and eliminated around 30 servicemen of the Armenian armed forces.
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 the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.