Ankara says Armenia's provocations violate int’l law, humanitarian values

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the provocation staged by Armenia on July 4 on the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in Fizuli region, which resulted in killing of two Azerbaijani citizens, including a 2-year-old girl.

“This despicable atrocity clearly demonstrated that the provocations which Armenia follows at the border and front regions with heavy weaponry, while occupying one-fifth of Azerbaijan's territory, target Azerbaijani civilian population, particularly women and children in violation of international law and humanitarian values," read a statement issued by the Ministry on July 5.

On July 4 at 20:40, the Armenian armed forces located in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan subjected to fire the Alkhanli village of Fizuli region, using 82 and 120 millimeter mortars and heavy grenade launchers. As a result of this provocation, a resident of the village and her two-year-old granddaughter were killed. Another resident, who got fragment wounds as a result of the shelling, was taken to the military hospital and was operated on.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims and to the Azerbaijani nation, and wished a speedy recovery to the wounded.

"International community should acknowledge the fact that this deliberate and systematic policy pursued by Armenia towards fuelling violence is the main obstacle to the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and put pressure on Armenia to withdraw its troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan," said the statement.

The Turkish side also noted that Turkey, as a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, established for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, will continue to support the efforts to reach a just and lasting solution within the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan by laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

Ankara has repeatedly stated that the OSCE Minsk Group needs to intensify the search for solutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and offered its assistance in this matter.