Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 8
Trend:
There is no military solution for Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said a statement of the Club de Madrid in line with the death of innocent civilians as a result of shelling of the Azerbaijani villages by Armenian armed forces on the line of contact of the two countries' troops.
The Club de Madrid is an independent non-profit organization created to promote democracy and change in the international community.
The Club de Madrid expressed concern about events in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh and offered condolences to the families of the Azerbaijani citizens, who were killed and injured as a result of Armenian armed forces' military provocation, according to the statement.
The Club de Madrid called on the conflict parties to strictly respect the ceasefire regime and avoid any actions that could lead to the conflict's further escalation.
"As the US Secretary of State has said the unstable situation on the ground demonstrates why the sides must enter into an immediate negotiation under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on a comprehensive settlement of the conflict," said the statement.
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. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.
Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry earlier said. Ignoring the agreement, the Armenian side again started violating the ceasefire.
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.