BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 1
Trend:
International law is on the side of Azerbaijan, the country’s Ambassador to Ukraine Elmira Akhundova said, commenting on the development of events related to Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports.
“Decisions and resolutions adopted within international organizations clearly confirm that Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan. Four UN Security Council resolutions state that the Armenian armed forces must be immediately, completely and unconditionally withdrawn from the occupied territories,” Akhundova noted.
“The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense made an appeal to the Armenian population of the occupied districts with a request to stay away from the military facilities of the Armenian armed forces,” the ambassador said.
“As for the situation at the front, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces continue to move forward, liberating the occupied territories, taking over advantageous strategic heights, taking control of the main roads along which military equipment and ammunition can be transferred from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh,” Akhundova added.
She also said that the recent military and political provocations against Azerbaijan have become regular.
“Remember the events of mid-July, when our servicemen and one civilian died as a result of artillery shelling in the Tovuz direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. It's not a secret for anyone that Armenia opened the fire first, and the first dead were Azerbaijani servicemen,” Akhundova stressed.
“The provocations of Armenia were also reflected in the statements of the Armenian leadership. A year ago, the prime minister of Armenia said in the occupied territories, in Khankandi, that "Karabakh is Armenia". This provocative statement actually dealt a blow to the negotiation process. If the Armenia’s PM says that "Karabakh is Armenia", then what kind of negotiations can we talk about? In his address to the people, the president of Azerbaijan noted that the leadership of Armenia has repeatedly stated that Azerbaijan should negotiate not with Armenia, but with the self-proclaimed so-called “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic". This is a crushing blow to the negotiation process," she stressed.
Ambassador Elmira Akhundova expressed gratitude to all Ukrainian MPs, political scientists, journalists who supported Azerbaijan’s position and objectively covering the events taking place in the region.
Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars and artillery on Sept. 27.
Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops managed to liberate certain territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important heights under control.
Military actions continued on Sept. 29 - 30. According to a statement from Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, the Armenian armed forces have suffered heavy losses along the entire front line from Sept. 27 through Sept. 30, including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery installations, rocket launch systems, as well as command and observation posts, air defense systems, etc.
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, 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 the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
