Azernews.Az

By Rashid Shirinov

Despite calls by rational forces in Armenia's political-social and Diaspora circles for the soonest peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia’s military- political leadership by all means tries to prevent progress in the negotiation process.

Spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Hikmat Hajiyev made the remark while commenting on the statements of Armenia’s political-social and Diaspora circles, Armenian leadership and foreign minister regarding the settlement of the conflict, APA reports.

Hajiyev said that the aim of the Armenian leadership is not a peaceful resolution of the conflict, but the imitation of Armenia's participation in the negotiations.

“The Armenian leadership is pursuing policy that serves to maintain the current status-quo which is based on occupation and aggression against Azerbaijan,” he said.

“Yerevan ignores the demands of the international community, particularly the OSCE Minsk Group, on withdrawal of the Armenian troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, and instead resorts to new and new provocations to evade fundamental issues that underpin the solution to the conflict.”

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in conflict, which emerged over Armenian territorial claims. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal, but they have not been enforced to this day.

The spokesperson further stressed that the latest military provocation staged by Armenia on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border is the next dangerous adventure of Yerevan.

“Armenia’s efforts to hide behind the Collective Security Treaty Organization and involve it in the conflict pose a serious threat to the regional peace and security, as well as to the talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs.”

Hajiyev noted that Armenia’s agitation of misinformation after the incident, its contradicting statements, as well as former Secretary General of CSTO Nikolai Bordyuzha’s hasty and irresponsible statement once again reveal that this dangerous adventure was realized on the basis of a pre-planned scenario. “The scenario resembles the incidents occurred on frontline in April 2016, and Sumgayit events committed in 1988,” he said.

The spokesperson is sure that Armenia was going to commit a more large-scale military provocation on the border, but the vigilance of Azerbaijani soldiers thwarted their offensive plans. “Yerevan, which refutes to return the body of Azerbaijani soldier Chingiz Gurbanov, who was killed while preventing this provocation, aims to use this as misinformation. Therefore, in spite of appeals made through the international organizations, Armenia is still rejecting to give Gurbanov’s body back roughly violating requirements of Geneva Convention,” the spokesman said.

Instead of such adventures, Yerevan should take constructive steps towards peaceful settlement of the conflict by obeying calls of sober-minded people in Armenian society and requirements of international community, Hajiyev said. “The sooner Armenia’s military-political leadership perceives this reality and withdraws troops from Azerbaijan’s territories, the sooner peace and stability will be ensured in the region and Armenian people will benefit from new regional cooperation opportunities."

A reconnaissance group of the Armenian Armed Forces tried to violate the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border on December 29 morning. The Armenian group found itself in the ambush of the Azerbaijani army while violating the borders.

The enemy was forced to retreat, suffering losses, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry's message.

---

Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz