Baku urges OSCE PA to show resolute position on solving Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
By Amina Nazarli
The Azerbaijani side has urged the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to show resolute position on solving the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Vice-Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Bahar Muradova, expressed this appeal in her letter to President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly İlkka Kanerva and organization`s special representative for the South Caucasus Christian Vigen on the recent tension in the frontline.
“Azerbaijani nation became the victim of the ethnic cleansing and genocide policy of the Armenian nationalists. The illegal existence of the Armenian Armed Forces in the Azerbaijan`s occupied territories continues to be serious threat to escalation of the situation and regional peace and stability.
Armenian armed forces perpetrated the provocation and the ceasefire roughly breached. The Armed Forces attacked the positions of Azerbaijan and the settlements with the heavy weapons, artillery. As the result of that dozens of civilians were injured, died, the building, private houses were destroyed.”
The appeal also says that the resolutions of the UN Security Council reaffirmed that Nagorno-Karabakh region is an integral part of Azerbaijan and demands unconditional, complete, immediate withdrawal of the Armenian occupying troops from Azerbaijan`s lands.
“Unacceptability of maintaining the status-quo was also emphasized by the Co-chair countries of the OSCE – Presidents of the U.S., Russia and France. But, Armenia refuses to honor to this call. This case reaffirms that the Yerevan is not interested in political solving of the conflict.”
The Vice speaker urges the officials of the OSCE PA to pressure on Armenian side by using all opportunities.
For over two decades, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been locked in conflict which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions.
Over the entire period of its existence, the OSCE Minsk Group, which acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, failed to move forward in resolving the long lasting conflict, although the interested parties had pinned great hopes on it.
The situation on the frontline aggravated on April 2 after the Armenian military units in the occupied lands started shelling Azerbaijan’s positions.
To protect civilian population, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched counter attacks and as a result, the Azerbaijani troops retook hills around the village of Talish, as well as Seysulan settlement, and also took over Lele Tepe hill located in the direction of Fizuli region.
The hostilities renewed in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan on April 4, as the Armenian side continued to shell the Azerbaijani positions although the Azerbaijani side announced unilateral ceasefire on April 3.
The Azerbaijani Army destroyed about 370 enemy soldiers since the start of the hostilities, according to the defense ministry.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to cease operations on the line of contact starting from 12.00, April 5.
The Azerbaijani armed units are now carrying out fortification work in the retaken areas, Defense Ministry reported
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