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Azerbaijani FM discusses Karabakh conflict with French secretary of state

Politics Materials 26 April 2016 18:14 (UTC +04:00)
Armenia continues violating the ceasefire with Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani FM discusses Karabakh conflict with French secretary of state

Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr. 26

By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:

Armenia continues violating the ceasefire with Azerbaijan, the country's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said, the press service of the country's foreign ministry reported Apr. 26.

Mammadyarov made the remarks at a meeting with French Secretary of State for European Affairs Harlem Désir held within the VII Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Baku.

The sides exchanged views on development of bilateral relations in various spheres and noted the importance of the VII Global Forum held in Baku.

Having informed about the latest tensions on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops starting from April 2, Mammadyarov said that Armenia continues to violate the ceasefire and carries out shelling using heavy artillery, which in the result causes serious damage to civilian facilities in Azerbaijan's Terter district.

On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry earlier said. Ignoring the agreement, the Armenian side again started violating the ceasefire.

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.

Having noted the importance of intensification of efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Mammadyarov said that Azerbaijan is ready for productive negotiations to resolve the conflict.

The sides also exchanged views regarding regional and global issues of mutual interest at the meeting.

The 7th Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations will last until Apr.27.

The Youth Forum was held on the first day of the 7th UNAOC Global Forum on Apr.25.

Meetings with high-ranking officials, about 30 sessions are planned to be held during the forum.

The Baku Declaration is expected to be adopted during the forum.

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on July 24, 2015 to create an organizing committee for holding the 7th UNAOC Global Forum in Baku.

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