Baku, Azerbaijan, July 14
By Seba Aghayeva – Trend:
The necessity of political compromises for the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s peaceful settlement – security guarantees for the population, living near the line of contact and the confidence building – has to be emphasized in all negotiations and bilateral meetings with the parties.
This was noted in the statement of Stephan Mayer, a member of the German Bundestag and domestic policy speaker of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, regarding the Armenian provocation in the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli district.
It should be noted that 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, thereby grossly violating the requirements of international law, the Azerbaijani defense ministry said earlier.
As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.
Touching upon the history of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mayer noted that the UN Security Council resolutions on the settlement of this conflict haven’t been implemented yet.
The world community recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan, says the statement.
According to the Bundestag member, it is both Germany’s and the European Union’s (EU) position that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can solely be achieved through peaceful means.
Neither Germany nor the EU acknowledged the parliamentary election in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2010, added Mayer.
The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan must be restored, the IDPs must return to their homeland, says the statement.
The Bundestag member also called on international organizations to intensify their efforts to resolve the conflict.
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.