Armenia’s dispatching terrorist-sabotage group undermines peace deal
By Vafa Ismayilova
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said that Armenia’s dispatching of a terrorist-sabotage group to Azerbaijan after the signing of the joint statement in November, threatens the implementation of the peace deal.
Bayramov made the remarks during the meeting with the Italian Senate's Foreign Affairs and Emigration Committee President Vito Petrocelli on April 12, the ministry's press service has reported.
Bayramov said that the members of the said group, that killed Azerbaijani servicemen and civilians, are currently being prosecuted while the Armenian side unjustifiably described these people as "prisoners of war" and made allegations concerning them.
The minister also informed the Chairperson of the Committee that Azerbaijan’s liberated territories were heavily mined by Armenia and that Armenia still refuses to provide information on mine sites to Azerbaijan.
He further emphasized the importance of honest dissemination of information in the international community on this matter through representatives of friendly countries like Italy.
Bayramov and Petrocelli also focused on the current post-war regional situation, the implementation of the Karabakh peace deal and the unblocking of regional transport communications, the possibility of normalizing Azerbaijani-Armenian relations on the basis of strict respect for the principles of international law, the report added.
Petrocelli noted that the Italian Senate has always closely followed issues related to the conflict. He described the end of the conflict as a great success for the whole region and said that there are ample opportunities for regional integration. He also noted the prospects for the comprehensive development of bilateral relations.
Bayramov praised the high-level progress in Azerbaijani-Italian relations. He touched on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev's state visit to Italy in February 2020, the agreements reached during the visit, as well as the signing of a joint statement on strengthening the multidimensional strategic partnership.
The two men also discussed prospects for the development of bilateral cooperation in the economic, energy and humanitarian spheres. The sides expressed their confidence that cooperation will continue more actively after the lifting of pandemic restrictions.
At the end of the meeting, Bayramov conveyed his sincere greetings to his Italian counterpart Luigi di Maio.
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov recently said that Azerbaijan handed over more than 70 prisoners of war to Armenia, and Armenia returned 12 prisoners of war to Azerbaijan. Bayramov added that Azerbaijan neutralized 62 servicemen from Armenia's Shirak region that were deployed on Azerbaijani territories on November 26 and they cannot be considered as prisoners of war.
On November 10, Baku and Yerevan signed a Moscow-brokered deal that brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.
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