Moscow, Russia, Apr.21
By Orkhan Yolchuyev - Trend:
As the international mediator, Russia is ready to render all possible assistance to the parties of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mariya Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, said during the briefing Apr.21.
She noted that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will also be discussed during the visit of Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Yerevan.
Currently, it is necessary to exercise restraint and return to stability, according to Zakharova.
"We are firmly convinced that the parties [of the conflict] should resume the negotiation process aimed at achieving a lasting settlement," she said. "It is essential to intensify the work on reducing the war risk on the basis of the existing agreements."
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.
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.
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.
Edited by SI