Presidential aide: Armenia’s impunity encourages it for further military adventures
By Aisha Jabbarova
Armenia’s impunity for its aggressive actions encourages Yerevan for further military adventures and military provocation, Azerbaijan’s presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev said in an interview with TRT World on July 13.
Hajiyev urged “the international community, in particularly OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs countries to redouble their actions and be seriously engaged in the resolution of the conflict.”
The official made the remarks while commenting on the killing of four Azerbaijani soldiers during the attack on Azerbaijani positions in the direction of Tovuz on the border on July 12.
“Along with the occupation, Armenia now tries to create another source of conflict in the region, on the border of two countries and it is yet another irresponsible action by Armenia to undermine already fragile regional peace and security. Therefore, serious measures should be taken for resolution of the conflict,” said Hajiyev.
Hajiyev reiterated President Ilham Aliyev’s earlier statement that the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group that mediates the conflict is fruitless.
Real actions are expected from co-chairs that “it shouldn’t be only carrying messages between the two parties and it should be implementing the core fundamental frameworks of the negotiations process. Minsk Group conducts different sorts of meetings but it’s enough to have meetings just for the sake of meetings. ”
Azerbaijan is disappointed and frustrated to have negotiations just for the sake of negotiations.
“It’s a façade for Armenia. It’s a façade and comfort zone for Armenia to hide themselves behind under the framework of negotiations and then continue occupation of Azerbaijani territories and also consolidate and maintain status quo for occupation and also conduct such kind of irresponsible behavior and provocations.”
“Co-chairs should seriously engage. Azerbaijan’s expectation is first of all that co-chairing countries and also all international community should take actions and all other members of the Minsk Group process that involves 11 countries should seriously be engaged in negotiations process.”
Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.
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