Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 11
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
Dialogue is necessary for resolving the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter April 11 at the joint press conference with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow.
The situation calmed down a little, thanks to Russia's efforts, but, nevertheless, there is a danger of the conflict's escalation, said Burkhalter.
The minister noted that there should be a process of dialogue and negotiation in order to reach a solution on the issues.
This process has not yet been adjusted and it should be dealt with, according to Burkhalter.
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.
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