Top official: Int’l organizations making every effort to ensure security of separatists in Karabakh

Ali Hasanov, the Azerbaijani president's aide for public and political affairs, expressed regret regarding idleness of international organizations in connection with the latest developments on the contact line of the country's and Armenian troops.

The OSCE Minsk Group, which is directly involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict's settlement, as well as this group's member states didn't express any attitude regarding the heavy shelling of Azerbaijani settlements by Armenian armed forces and the civilians killed as a result of it, Hasanov told Trend Apr. 28.

Starting from April 27 evening until 04:00 (GMT + 4 hours) on April 28, Armenian armed forces opened fire at settlements, as well as Azerbaijani army's positions in the country's Terter and Aghdam districts. Armenian military was using 60, 82 and 120-millimeter mortars, as well as 122-millimeter D-30 howitzers.

One resident of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district was killed, and eight people got injured as a result of shelling.

An adequate response of the Azerbaijani armed forces on consistent provocations of the Armenian army in early April and as a result of this, the liberation of some territories under occupation, caused a rapid response of most international organizations and individual countries, Hasanov said.

On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry earlier said. Ignoring the agreement, the Armenian side again started violating the ceasefire.

There were calls to suspend military operations and restore the ceasefire in all appeals and statements, said Hasanov.

The silence of these structures in the current situation gives grounds to say that the international organizations, especially the OSCE Minsk Group, directed all efforts at ensuring the safety of the separatist regime in Azerbaijan's occupied Nagorno-Karabakh region and war criminals who are this regime's leaders, as well as preserving the status quo in the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Hasanov said.

"I think that double standards are applied against Azerbaijan in the most blatant form," he said. "Disrespect is demonstrated to the people of Azerbaijan, international law and the principles of justice."

Hasanov went on to add that the international community, the OSCE and other organizations should take decisive measures in order to put an end to these actions by Armenia against Azerbaijani civilians.

Azerbaijan isn't going to tolerate regular provocations by Armenian leadership and the armed forces of this country, as well as the destruction of settlements, killing of civilians, said Hasanov.

If the international community continues to remain silent, Azerbaijan will have to take decisive measures to protect the civilian population and put an end to provocations, he said. From now on, the responsibility for this situation will lie directly on Armenia and those who turn a blind eye to its provocations, Hasanov said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

/By Trend/