Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

Every single exchange of fire, every injury and every human life claimed by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is one too many, reads a statement released by the German-South-Caucasian All-Party-Parliamentary-Group in the Bundestag, Azertac reported.

Voicing a deep concern over the fact that the violent developments in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh has reached a new level of escalation some weeks ago, the All-Party-Parliamentary-Group urged to put an end to the current developments as quickly as possible.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 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.

Long-simmering tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared again on April 2 when the Armenian side began to shell the Azerbaijani positions and settlements along the frontline. To protect civilian population, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched counter attacks and repulsed the enemy forces back. On April 5, the two sides agreed on a ceasefire. However, the Armenian forces commit armistice breaches on the frontline almost every day targeting civilians and shelling villages.

Baku has already announced that the ceasefire does not mean that Azerbaijan’s occupied lands will remain under occupation. Azerbaijan has agreed to ceasefire but warned that it will not turn blind eye if Armenian side commits provocation. Baku is ready for peace and sits at the table of negations, but it will not tolerate the endless occupation of its historical lands.

The All-Party-Parliamentary-Group further demanded swift action within the scope of the OSCE and the attached Minsk Group to stop these unnecessary casualties.

“This year, Germany holds the chair of the OSCE. Germany has the big opportunity this year to contribute productively to the de-escalation of the dramatic situation in the conflict region,” the statement reads.

“The UN General Assembly concluded in its’ resolutions (No. 822, 853, 874 and 884) that the current status, which violates international law, has to end. The current situation does not comply with international law and has to be condemned categorically. The All-Party-Parliamentary-Group supports the implementation of these resolutions in order to end the violence in the South Caucasian region. A serious cease-fire is a fundamental requirement to return to the negotiation table.”

The All-Party-Parliamentary-Group also positively assed that Azerbaijan ended the military action unilaterally, voicing hope that this will contribute to a de-escalation of the current situation.

Reminding the Group engages in talks with both representatives of the conflict parties, as well as with international negotiators in order to encourage sustainable peace talks, the German-South-Caucasian All-Party-Parliamentary-Group emphasized that its seeks to strengthen the process of establishing peaceful conditions.

“Clearly, this is of exceptional difficulty. However, especially in the light of the OSCE-chairmanship, it is our moral duty to find ways to end this unacceptable state swiftly,” the statement concluded.

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