Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Armistice breaches by Armenian armed forces keep tension high on the frontline and threat the lives of civilians residing in villages nearby the frontline.

The recent tension on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops has grabbed attentions both in the country and abroad.

Night hours are the most favorable time for Armenian troops to break the ceasefire.

People hear of the latest ceasefire violations from websites, newspapers, and television. The battle may look trivial from the outsiders but for people living in the border villages the situation is very hard.

"It is impossible to turn on lamps during night, as the enemy thinks if there is a light, then there are people," the villagers say. "The enemy soldiers even shot the car lights on the roads."

Sometimes the villagers report the enemy's bullets hit the roofs and windows of their houses.

Armenian soldiers recent move to shell a road that is used by schoolchildren was another reason to suspend schools in some border villages.

The residents of villages of Tovuz region near to the frontline say despite the Azerbaijani armed forces retaliatory fires, Armenian forces keep firing at the border and inflict more damages to their villages.

"Our [Azerbaijani] settlements are too close to the military positions, but the Armenian settlements are far from the border. Therefore, we cover the basement rooms, when the shooting starts," the villagers say.

During the intensive ceasefire violations, the villagers had to sit by candlelight, as electricity supply of a few villages was stopped. Therefore, the villagers were unable to get the news on what was happening in the country.

So, people - isolated from the real world and lacking any information about the last developments in and out of the country - spend long and cold nights amid the voices of fires which shattered the windows and roof of their houses. At the same time, they had to work in the day hours facing the threats against their lives. The villagers usually take their livestock to grazes and engage in planting in the fields which are open target area for the enemy.

"We have no other option, it is our job and we have to do it despite the enemy fire," one of the villagers said.

Armenian armed forces have recently violated the ceasefire over 1,000 times. Two officers of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces were killed by a sniper and one civilian was wounded.

The Armenian diversion groups have attempted to cross the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops several times during last week.

Azerbaijan's armed forces strongly suppress the intelligent plots of the Armenian subversive groups and each time Armenian units are forced to retreat.

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry Spokesman Vagif Dargahli told local media recently that the reason of the truce violations is that Armenia doesn't withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories and continue its aggressive policy against the country.

Dargahli said the recent ceasefire violations and subversive attempts to cross the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops is a prelude to the next provocative move of Armenia.

Deputy Chairman - Executive Secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party Ali Ahmadov said recently the provocative moves of Armenian armed forces on the contact line of the troops which were faced with harsh reactions by Azerbaijan forces once again show that Azerbaijan is fully ready to cope with the enemy's threats.

"The reaction of the Armenian side confirms this," Ahmadov said.

He suggested that the Armenian government makes the move on the frontline to distract the Armenian people from their dissatisfaction with the internal situation.

"I believe that Azerbaijan adequately responded to these provocations. It demonstrates that Azerbaijan has a sufficiently powerful military force. This shows that Azerbaijan is ready to liberate its lands from the occupation," Ahmadov said.

Armenia continues to aggravate the situation instead of returning occupied Azerbaijani territories to its real owners.

Armenia hinders the ongoing peace process over the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with keeping tension high on the contact line. Thus, the occupant country aims to prolong the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.

Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.

Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the US have produced no results so far.