BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 4
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Veljko Kajtazi, a member of the Croatian Parliament expressed his sorrow over deaths of dozens of civilians in recent days due to Armenian provocations, Trend reports with reference to Kajtazi’s statement.
"Azerbaijan's territorial integrity must be respected, the Geneva Convention must not be violated, and attacks on civilians must be stopped immediately," Kajtazi said.
“Following three principles based on sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of state borders stated in the Zagreb Declaration signed with Azerbaijan in 2013 in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and the OSCE Summit in Lisbon, I would like to put a stress on the paragraph 3, which emphasizes the importance of a peaceful settlement. Guided by the relevant Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874, and 884, we must respect the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of state borders. As a result of the attacks on the cities of Tartar, Dashkasan, Fizuli and Naftalan, many civilians' houses, urban infrastructure, hospitals and administrative buildings were destroyed, and innocent people were killed. The whole family of five was killed in Naftalan. The death of civilians is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions,” Kajtazi said.
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 liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.
Military actions continued on Sept. 29 - Oct. 1. 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.