Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Armenia has violated the international law and committed crime against the Azerbaijani civilians.

Foreign Ministry's spokesman Hikmet Hajiyev made the statement while answering questions of journalists in the Aghdam region. “Therefore, Armenia and its leaders are directly responsible for these actions,” he added.

A group of local and foreign journalists have visited Azerbaijani residential settlements shelled by the Armenian troops along the frontline on April 29.

Residential areas in Aghdam have been considerably damaged as a result of Armenian armed forces` shelling on the night of April 27-28.

One civilian was killed, while eight others were injured in the shelling. Twelve houses and a shop were fully destroyed, while a house was burnt, 59 other houses were damaged. Some twelve heads of cattle and a horse have been annihilated, one car was destroyed.

Ahmad Ahmadov, the relative of the killed Agdam resident, believes that Armenian armed units target civilians because they do not have enough strength to cope with the army of Azerbaijan.

“If the talks on Karabakh are accompanied by such provocations, then we are against such negotiations. If there are peace negotiations, then such incidents should not occur. All of us are ready to take part in the fight against aggressor. We will never leave our native lands,” Ahmadov said.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry announced that in case Armenia continues shelling Azerbaijani settlements, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces will inflict retaliatory strikes on Armenia’s military facilities located in residential areas.

“Under the instructions of the management of the Ministry of Defense, Azerbaijan’s army takes resolute retaliatory measures to silence the enemy’s fire,” spokesperson of the Ministry of Defense Vagif Dergahli told the journalists visiting the frontline.

“Armenian units have shelled our residential areas close to the frontline from the occupied territories during last three days,” he said. "The shelling was carried out from mortars, howitzers, BM-21 (Grad) and BM-21 (Grad) multiple rocket launchers."

It is not the first time, when Armenia targets peaceful population of Azerbaijan. Over the whole existence of the conflict, Yerevan has resorted to the provocations towards civilians.

Shortly before the so-called ‘four-day-war’ Armenian Armed Forces have injured 17-years-old Joshgun Mammadov, a resident of Azerbaijan’s Agdam region. Moreover, the Armenian military forces have wounded three residents of Azerbaijan’s Terter region.

The hostilities in the contact line of troops renewed on April 24 as a result of the Armenian provocation. Despite the Russia-brokered agreement achieved on April 5, Armenia violated ceasefire with Azerbaijan by shelling its positions and civilians using prohibited weapons.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly called on Armenia to abstain from violence, but Yerevan keeps ignoring all the appeals.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the occupied territories.

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Nazrin Gadimova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @NazrinGadimova

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