Yerevan tries to hinder peace process by aggravating situation on frontline
By Sara Rajabova
Armenia is not interested in the peaceful return of the occupied Azerbaijani territories, therefore the Armenian side regularly aggravates the situation on the front line on the eve of any negotiations.
Azerbaijani MP Vahid Ahmadov made the remark while commenting on the tense situation on the frontline, as well as the frequent subversive attacks of Armenian servicemen.
He told Day.Az web portal that the aggravation of the situation on the front line is linked with the upcoming meeting of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and meeting of the foreign ministers.
Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers are scheduled to meet on January 24 in Paris to discuss the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabkh conflict.
Ahmadov said Yerevan is well aware that the international community is interested in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, so the Armenian side is trying to complicate the negotiation process.
Ahmadov went on to say that the Azerbaijani army is strong enough to prevent such attacks, adding that Armenia's these steps only hinder the peaceful negotiation process.
Meanwhile, the situation on the line of contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops continues to be tense.
On January 24, the subversive-intelligence group of the Armenian armed forces once again attempted to cross the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. The Defense Ministry said the Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire regime in various directions 93 times per day.
Besides, a Tovuz region resident was wounded on January 23 as a result of the Armenian armed forces' shelling of the villages located near the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in the Tovuz region.
Earlier, the Armenian army shot dead an Azerbaijani officer, Captain Elnur Jafarov, on January 23, amid growing tension along the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijan troops.
Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.
The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.
Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the US and the OSCE Minsk Group are underway on the basis of a peaceful outline -called Madrid Principle -proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.