Belarus expresses regret over death of Azerbaijani civilians

By  Trend

Belarus expresses regret over the casualties among civilians and offers condolences to the families of the victims, said Dmitry Mironchik, spokesman of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus.

He was commenting on the Armenian provocation in the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli district.

Belarus hopes for the cessation of bloodshed and once again advocates that all issues should be resolved only through dialogue at the negotiating table, according to a message from the country’s Foreign Ministry.

On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli district. As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on.

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.