Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.5
By Aygun Badalova - Trend:
Azerbaijan expects from Israel to relate to what is happening in Nagorno-Karabakh, because Israel can request Armenia to stop the fire and enter negotiations, Ali Hasanov, Azerbaijani president's aide for public and political affairs, told The Jerusalem Post.
"We view Israel as a strategic partner, and expect it to comment [on the situation]," he said.
Azerbaijan asks its strategic partner - Israel - to express its attitude toward the latest developments related to the military provocation committed by Armenia, according to Hasanov.
The top official noted that Israel has good relations with the US, Russia and France, and can urge them to bring Armenia to negotiations on the conflict.
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.
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. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements. The situation on the contact line remains tense.
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