Baku: Shelling of civilians shows terrorist nature of Armenian leadership
By Ayya Lmahamad
Shelling of civilians shows the terrorist nature of the Armenian leadership, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said during the phone conversation with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on October 2. on October 2.
The minister noted that in response to the new military aggression launched by the Armenian side on September 27, the Azerbaijan Armed Forces carry out relevant countermeasures within its internationally recognized borders.
Moreover, Bayramov drew attention to the fact that the Armenian armed forces are intentionally shelling the civilian population and infrastructure, emphasizing that this is another violation of international humanitarian law.
The minister stressed that tensions in the region still persists, and the entire responsibility for the situation lies with the military and political leadership of Armenia.
In turn, French Foreign Minister expressed serious concern over the tension in the region, stressing the importance of eliminating tension and observing the ceasefire regime. In this regard, it has been referred to the statement of the heads of OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair states.
Armenian armed forces launched a large-scale operation in the front-line zone on September 27 at 6 am, shelling the positions of the Azerbaijani army from large-calibre weapons, mortars, and artillery installations of various calibres.
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.
---
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz