BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 28
Trend:
At a time when the whole world has mobilized to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, Armenia resorts to provocations and sabotage to exacerbate tensions, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said, Trend reports.
Bayramov made the remark at a webinar on the impact of the pandemic on regional cooperation in Asia
“Armenia continues the policy of aggression against Azerbaijan, as a result of which about 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territory has been occupied, and more than one million Azerbaijanis were forced to leave their historical lands, becoming refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPS),” said the minister. “The four resolutions on the conflict adopted by the UN Security Council require an immediate, unconditional and complete withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, Armenia continues to ignore these resolutions and documents of other international organizations demanding an end to the aggression.”
“On July 12, 2020, the Armenian armed forces fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces located in the Tovuz district along the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. As a result of this provocation, 12 Azerbaijani servicemen were killed, including a major general of the Armed Forces, as well as one civilian,” said Bayramov. “This provocation by Armenia is aimed at disrupting the peace talks and continuing the aggression against Azerbaijan and the occupation. It also aims to divert attention from the increasingly aggravating internal problems in Armenia itself, caused by the incompetent activities of its leadership and the widespread of coronavirus infection in this country.”
Touching upon international reaction to the provocation of Armenia, the minister noted that leading international organizations, such as the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States (Turkic Council) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), made statements condemning the Armenian provocation.
“In turn, with the support of 120 member states of the communiqué, which strongly condemns the provocation of the Armenian armed forces, adopted the Coordination Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM),” said Bayramov.
The Azerbaijani FM also expressed deep gratitude for solidarity of fraternal Turkey.