Baku, Azerbaijan, July 6
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva – Trend:
France expressed regret over the killing of Azerbaijani civilians by the Armenian armed forces, said a message from the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
“We deplore the latest deadly incident that occurred on July 4 near the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact, in the village of Alkhanli,” reads the message.
France calls on the parties to abide by the ceasefire and remains fully committed to bringing a negotiated, lasting settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, one that offers stability and prosperity to the entire region, according to the message.
On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces again violated ceasefire and, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled Azerbaijani positions and territories where the civilian population lives, namely the Alkhanli village of the country’s Fuzuli district. As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sakhiba Guliyeva, 50, and Zakhra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Servinaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.
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.