Azernews.Az

By Ayya Lmahamad

Armenia continues to deliberately shell Azerbaijani civilians and civilian objects despite the humanitarian truce that entered force on October 10, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said during the phone conversation with Slovak Republic Foreign Minister Ivan Korčok on October 12.

Bayramov briefed Korčok on large-scale military provocation by Armenia along the frontline that started on September 27, reminding that Azerbaijani Army took counter offensive measures to repel Armenian military aggression and ensure the security of densely populated civilian residential areas.

Bayramov underlined that Azerbaijani cities located far beyond the frontlines including Naftalan, Shamkir, Mingachevir and Ganja came under rocket and artillery fire of Armenia's armed forces.

The minister stressed the importance of eliminating the consequences of the conflict and withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as it is demanded by the UN Security Council resolutions, in order to ensure sustainable peace and security in the region.

In turn, Ivan Korčok expressed serious concern over tensions in the region and emphasized the importance of restoring political dialogue.

Head of the press service of Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, Colonel Vagif Dargahli has said that Azerbaijani army ully complies with humanitarian truce reached in Moscow.

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.

Forty one civilians have been killed and 207 others have been injured since the outbreak of large-scale hostilities on September 27, after Armenia launched another attack along the line of contact. As a result of the shelling of civilian infrastructure facilities by the occupying country's armed forces, 1,185 houses and 57 multi-apartment residential buildings, as well as 148 civilian facilities were severely damaged.

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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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad

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