Armenian provocations continue on frontline despite international calls

/By Azernews/

By Nazrin Gadimova

Despite international calls to abstain from aggravating the situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan contact line, Armenia has intensified the armistice breaches over the week.

That showed the true intention of Yerevan, which continued breaking ceasefire during Novruz celebrations in Azerbaijan. Although the OSCE urged the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to strictly observe the ceasefire on the eve of Novruz and Easter.

Furthermore, the Armenian Armed Forces violated the state border of Azerbaijan on the territory of Gazakh region on March 27 attempting to enter the country's territory.

The Azerbaijani troops could prevent the offensive attempt, making the enemy to retreat suffering losses.

The Azerbaijani army lost three servicemen during the operations.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry stated that these provocations counteracted the calls.

Spokesman for the Ministry Hikmet Hajiyev said that Armenia’s Defense Ministry responded this call with provocative attacks.

“Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, personal representative of the country chairing the OSCE (Germany) and Minsk Group co-chairs made statements on March 18 and March 21 calling to adhere to the ceasefire during Novruz and Easter holidays,” Hajiyev said.

He added that in accordance with the spirit of the holidays, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry immediately responded positively to Kasprzyk’s call.

However, Armenia continued the activities aimed at aggravating the situation on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian armies and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border by intensively violating the ceasefire with heavy weapons,” Hajiyev added.

Hajiyev said this once again proves that Armenia’s true purpose is to deliberately aggravate the situation, prevent the resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations, maintain the status quo and continue the occupation of Azerbaijani territories.

The ministry believes that the presence of Armenian armed forces on Azerbaijan’s occupied lands is the main threat to peace and security in the region and main reason for the tension and ceasefire violation.

To achieve progress in resolution of the conflict and ensure sustainable ceasefire, Armenia should withdraw its troops from Azerbaijan’s occupied lands as required by the resolutions of the UN Security Council, according to the spokesperson.

Otherwise, Armenia is fully responsible for the current situation, he concluded.

For more than two decades Armenia and Azerbaijan are in a state of war following Yerevan’s aggression, ethnic cleansing policy and illegal territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenia keeps under control over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions in a brutal war in the early 1990s.

Despite a fragile ceasefire agreement signed in 1994, Armenia keeps violating armistice with Azerbaijan.