Azernews.Az

By Mushvig Mehdiyev

Reports coming from the contact line of the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces are still alarming as ceasefire breaches are made by Armenian side on a daily basis.

On November 13, Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire agreement for 74 times in different directions on the contact line. Armenia's continuous aggression towards Azerbaijan has left many casualties, but what is the worst is that the aggression is undermining the peace process mediated by international mediators.

Following the recent helicopter incident, some influential organizations including OSCE, NATO, EU, as well as the U.S. Department of State called on two countries to abandon the aggression and keep on efforts to end the conflict in peace. But those calls have gone in vain, as Armenia continues to shake the ceasefire with 74 infringements a day.

Heavy firing on the contact line once more proved the exacerbated aggressive behavior of Armenian soldiers despite the ceasefire between the two countries. Armenian troops have regularly breached the ceasefire since the two South Caucasus countries agreed on armistice in 1994. Armenia is playing hardball with Azerbaijan to reaffirm its use of force policy, which ignores the peaceful efforts on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict's settlement.

Armenian aggression reached its climax in early August when its troops targeted Azerbaijani army's positions with an uninterrupted shellfire, causing an outbreak of intense fighting. Armenian army faced huge casualties as a result of a backfire by Azerbaijani forces. It also tried to cover its ignominy by accusing the Azerbaijani side of ceasefire violation.

Azerbaijani government firmly reiterated that Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent districts are historical and internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan, which were forcibly occupied by Armenian military forces. Baku called on international community to avoid any kind of relations with the so-called "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic". But Armenian government still keeps its illegal support to the "NKR's" self-proclaimed authorities and even sends its soldiers to serve in the separatist region's army.

The three crew members on the board of MI-24 helicopter, which was shot down while attempting to violate the Azerbaijani airspace, were revealed to be Armenian army's servicemen, who illegally joined the so-called "NKR army." Armenian government made all efforts to deny this fact that the dead crew belonged to its army, but a quick research about the identity of the deceased soldiers revealed that they were Armenian servicemen.

Baku blamed the Armenian authorities for their aggressive policy, calling the helicopter incident the next proof of Armenia's unconstructive stance on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Acting Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev said Azerbaijan was committed to the regulation of the conflict within its territorial integrity and sovereignty. He added that the French President Francois Hollande called on the two countries to seek for a peaceful settlement.

"Azerbaijan is ready to work on a peaceful resolution of the conflict. However, Armenia continues to impede the peace process by its unconstructive position and policy," Hajiyev said.

He noted that Azerbaijani FM delivered a letter to the OSCE Minsk Groups co-chair countries in 2012 to notify them about Azerbaijan's adequate measures against any attempt aimed to violate the country's airspace.

All these testify to Armenia's unwillingness to restore peace and stability in the region, as it enthusiastically tries to create a setback in the settlement process of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by its regular provocations. One of Martin Luther King's famous saying reads as "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Armenia's offensive and aggressive policy against Azerbaijan is a perfect example of how injustice poses a real threat both to the region and the whole world.