Baku, Azerbaijan, July 7
Trend:
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on July 6 made the second statement in connection with the recent provocation of the Armenian armed forces in the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli district.
In their first statement, the co-chairs expressed their serious concern over the violation of ceasefire, saying that the incident was considered to be a provocative action, that undermines peace efforts and could provoke a breakdown in the forthcoming negotiations.
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs reminded the sides of their obligations under the Geneva Conventions to refrain from any hostile action that could lead to unacceptable civilian casualties.
“We appeal to parties to take immediate measures to defuse the situation and strictly observe the 1994/1995 ceasefire agreement.”
The Russian Federation, France and the US stress the necessity to resume as soon as possible negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict, as the only way to bring peace, prosperity genuine reconciliation to the all people of the region, according to the statement.
Commenting on the second statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, noted that the July 4 statement of the co-chairs in connection with the developments in the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli district, among other statements clearly indicates which of the parties committed the provocation, violated the Geneva Conventions and the negotiation process.
“Thus, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in a statement issued on Tuesday regard the developments in the Alkhanli village of the Fuzuli district as a provocation,” he said.
The conducted research and the arguments presented prove that the Armenian armed forces in the Alkhanli village targeted the civilian population and civilian objects, according to Hajiyev.