Azernews.Az

An Azerbaijani opposition party has called for holding a rally in support of what it deems as the government's statements on possible military action to resolve the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict the country faces with Armenia.
In a statement, the leftist Adalat (Justice) Party cited "calls to war" being made by President Ilham Aliyev and the ruling New Azerbaijan Party (NAP).
Adalat also hit out at the West. "The best response to Western pressure aimed at preparing Azerbaijan for defeatist peace is to demonstrate the public's resolve to wage a war. We thereby suggest that all of the country's opposition political organizations stage a rally on Azadlig (Freedom) Square jointly with NAP in support of the president's calls to war."
The party also said the conduct of such a rally could provide grounds for short-term anti-terror operations by Azerbaijani armed forces.
"We believe that time is ripe for anti-terror operations in Upper Garabagh [an Azeri region under Armenian occupation] and that Azerbaijan should not back down from that," it said.
The statement said further that the allegations that Azerbaijan would lose new territory in case hostilities resumed were nothing but propaganda being carried out by the enemy.
"The truth is that in the past three years alone, the Azerbaijani military has significantly strengthened its positions on the frontline, while the state of things for Armenians in this period has considerably complicated."
The party also said that speculations concerning possible support and military assistance to be openly provided by Russia and Iran to Armenia if military action was launched were being spread merely to intimidate Azerbaijan.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s. The ceasefire accord was signed in 1994, but peace talks have been fruitless so far.