Azerbaijani FM, US senior advisor for Caucasus negotiations mull regional situation
By Vugar Khalilov
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and US State Department's Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Philip Reeker discussed the precarious situation and potential measures toward normalcy, Azernews reports via the ministry.
The minister emphasized that Azerbaijan is carrying out reconstruction works in the region in the post-conflict period and has come up with peace initiatives, thus it is uninterested in aggravating the situation.
He brought to the attention of the other side that it is important for Armenia to fulfill its obligations within the framework of the agreements reached, to completely withdraw the Armenian armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan, and to stop provocations.
Expressing concern over the tension on the border between the two countries, Reeker stressed the importance of stabilizing the situation.
He said that the US is in favor of resolving all disagreements through political and diplomatic channels and it is ready to support the normalization process by all means.
During the meeting, various aspects of the normalization process, necessary steps in this direction, and other issues of mutual interest were exchanged.
To recap, units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions during the night of September 13. At night, Armenian sabotage groups mined land and supply roads linking the positions of the Azerbaijani army units in different directions, taking advantage of the area's steep topography and existing ravine gaps.
Clashes between the sides ensued as a result of the urgent efforts made by the Azerbaijani armed forces to quell these activities. As a result, 50 armed forces personnel, including 42 Azerbaijan Army servicemen and 8 State Border Service personnel were killed, the ministry detailed.
The Azerbaijan military units stationed in these areas took decisive retaliatory measures to suppress the provocations of the Armenian armed forces and military threats to Azerbaijan's territory and sovereignty, as well as to ensure the safety of military personnel, including civilian workers involved in infrastructure construction in Kalbajar and Lachin districts, the ministry emphasized.
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