BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.4
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu has called on the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to speak up for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity without any ifs or buts, Trend reports citing Turkish media.
“There can be no double standards. Just as we advocate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and Ukraine, we should defend the rights of Azerbaijan,” he said.
He noted that Azerbaijan simply wants to regain control over its internationally recognized territories, in line with the relevant resolutions and decisions of the UN Security Council, OSCE, and PACE. I particularly recall Resolution 1416 of PACE adopted in 2005.
“Armenia should end its occupation and be held accountable for deliberate attacks on civilians and continuously violating ceasefire agreements,” Cavusoglu said.
Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the 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. Currently, Azerbaijan continues the liberation of its territories from Armenian troops.
Back in July 2020, the Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district. As a result of Azerbaijan's retaliation, the opposing forces were silenced. The fighting continued the following days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian Armed Forces.
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, the 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.