Armenian Armed Forces commit incident on border with Azerbaijan
By Abdul Kerimkhanov
The Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire by using large-caliber weapons in the early hours of 18.
The fire was opened from the direction of the Zorakan village of the Armenian Noyemberyan region to the positions of the border combat point of Azerbaijan’s State Border Service near the Shikhli-II village of Azerbaijan’s Gazakh region.
Azerbaijani soldier Jeyhun Bayramov was wounded while on duty at a border combat point.
Spokesperson of Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva noted that the incident happened not on the contact line of troops of the Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces, but on the state border of the two countries.
She emphasized that this provocation completely contradicts the call of the OSCE Minsk Group on preparing the parties for peace.
Just a few hours before the incident Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke about the importance of achieving a solution that meets the interests of the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples and the specific results of the negotiations. "How can a person believe the words of the Armenian leader about peace and prosperity after such an incident," she inquired, adding that the words of the new Armenian leadership and actions diverge.
She expressed hope that the Armenian leadership, finally, will understand that in the interest of both the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples is to ensure peace and prosperity in the region.
"The only way to peace is to eliminate the occupation factor, liberate the occupied Azerbaijani territories and return IDPs to their homes. Only after that there will be peace, sustainable prosperity and progress in the region," Abdullayeva concluded.
Azerbaijan, who is interested in the early settlement of the conflict, hopes to resolve the conflict through negotiations.
Armenia needs to understand that delaying the conflict brought innumerable human suffering to its people first of all. The seizure of the territories of Azerbaijan and their continued occupation throughout all these years did not bring any tangible dividends to Armenia. The occupation of Karabakh led to an increase in the level of poverty, unemployment and outflow of population from the country.
If Armenia wants to resolve the conflict, the country should demonstrate its political will and practical steps in this direction. Azerbaijan would strongly welcome this approach, which should not only be declared, but also implemented.
---
Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz