Azerbaijan appeals to int’l community regarding Armenia
Azerbaijan calls for the international community to demand from Armenia to withdraw its troops from all occupied lands and to engage constructively in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry said.
On April 2, 2016 Armenia targeting civilians densely residing in the territories adjacent to the frontline area opened intensive heavy weapons fire at the positions of Azerbaijan’s armed forces along the line of contact.
As a result of artillery attacks of Armenian armed forces a
number of civilians were killed and seriously wounded. Substantial
damages were also inflicted upon the private and public properties,
the statement said.
The armed forces of Azerbaijan have taken the necessary counter
measures within its internationally recognized borders to ensure
the safety of civilian population, to stop the provocations of
Armenia and to deter it from further acts of aggression. Currently,
the situation remains tense. Shelling of Azerbaijan’s positions
along the contact line with heavy weapons, including with artillery
continues.
Armenia in an attempt to reinforce its heavy artillery in the
occupied territories deploys additional rocket and artillery forces
and its military helicopters conduct intensive shuttle flights
between occupied territories and Armenia, the statement said.
Over the past years such violations and armed provocations of
Armenia by attacking and killing Azerbaijani military personnel as
well as civilians with the use of mortars and large-caliber machine
guns and artillery have become more frequent and violent.
Armenia’s desperate attempts to blame Azerbaijan for the escalation
of the situation in the frontline aimed at misleading its own
people and the wider international community, the statement
said.
Azerbaijan has repeatedly brought to the attention of the
international community that the illegal presence of Armenian armed
forces in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan remains a main
cause for the escalation of situation and continues to pose threat
to the regional peace and stability.
Armenia, by consistent provocations and escalation of the situation, strengthening of its military build-up in the occupied territories, illegally changing the demographic, cultural and physical character of the seized lands, engaging in unlawful economic and other activities, including transfer of Armenian population into these territories pursues an apparent goal of annexation of Azerbaijan’s territories and consolidating the status-quo, which is unacceptable and unsustainable as it was also stated by the heads of states of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, the statement said.
It is Armenia that also blocks all initiatives of OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairs, including the recent proposals of Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov to derail the negotiation process. It once
again proves that the official Yerevan is not genuinely interested
in seeking a political settlement of the armed conflict.
The fundamental basis for the settlement of the conflict is laid
down in the United Nations Security Council resolutions 822(1993),
853(1993), 874(1993) and 884(1993) and the U.N. General Assembly
resolution 62/243 (2008), which condemn the use of force against
Azerbaijan and occupation of its territories and reaffirm the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and the
inviolability of its internationally recognized borders, the
statement said.
In those resolutions, the United Nations reaffirmed that the
Nagorno-Karabakh region is an inalienable part of Azerbaijan and
demanded immediate, complete and unconditional withdrawal of the
occupying forces from all occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
The military occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan does not
represent a solution and will never produce a political outcome
desired by Armenia. The sooner Armenia reconciles with this
reality, the earlier the conflict will be resolved and the
countries and peoples in the region will benefit from the prospects
of cooperation and economic development, the statement said.
Azerbaijan calls the international community to demand from Armenia
to cease the illegal occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories, to
withdraw its troops from all seized lands and to engage
constructively in the conflict settlement process in accordance
with the requirements of relevant resolutions of the UNSC and the
norms and principles of international law.
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