Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.5
Trend:
China hopes that the parties of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will resolve the current situation through peace talks, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei said at the briefing Apr.5.
"We hope that the parties will show restraint and resolve the current situation through peace talks," RIA Novosti quoted Hong Lei as saying.
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.