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Azerbaijan Defense Ministry warns Armenia against targeting civilian settlements

Politics Materials 14 October 2020 17:57 (UTC +04:00)
Azerbaijan Defense Ministry warns Armenia against targeting civilian settlements

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 14

Trend:

The Armenian Defense Ministry recognized that the tactical operational missile complexes destroyed by the fire were on alert in a state of readiness for use in the territory of the occupied Kalbajar district of Azerbaijan with no civilian facilities and infrastructure, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on Oct.14.

According to the ministry, the above complexes were targeted at civilian facilities and infrastructure in Azerbaijan. The statements of the Armenian ministry that the settlements of Azerbaijan weren’t fired upon from the territory of Armenia are an obvious lie,” the ministry said. “The indisputable fact is that Ganja, Mingachevir cities, and other settlements of Azerbaijan were subjected to shelling namely from the territory of Armenia. Azerbaijan has no military goals and interests in the territory of Armenia. On the contrary, Armenia, shelling the settlements of Azerbaijan from its territory, deliberately tries to expand the geography of the conflict.”

The ministry repeated that in order to ensure the safety of its civilian population and settlements, Azerbaijan will continue to reserve the right to neutralize legitimate military targets of Armenia.

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. 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.

The fighting continued into October 2020, in the early days of which Armenia has launched missile attacks on Azerbaijani cities of Ganja, Mingachevir, Khizi as well as Absheron district.

Following almost two weeks of intensive military confrontations, Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Russia's mediation, have agreed on a temporary ceasefire for humanitarian purposes, for exchange of prisoners of war as well as bodies of the dead.

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.

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