OSCE MG co-chairs regard Armenia’s actions in Alkhanli as provocation

By Azernews

By Rashid Shirinov

Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is working to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, assessed the killing of Azerbaijani civilians by Armenia as a provocation.

“We consider this serious incident as a provocative action that undermines peace efforts and could provoke a breakdown in the forthcoming negotiations,” reads the statement issued by the MG co-chairs on July 6.

The Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanly village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli region on Kuly 4 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.

Following the incident, the OSCE Minsk Group made a statement, which was clearly a declarative, as it contained no word of accusation against the aggressor. Apparently, the co-chairs of the Minsk Group then realized the necessity of voicing the truth, as they disseminated the second statement on July 6.

Although the co-chairs didn’t directly point at Armenia as the culprit of this provocation, which claimed the lives of two Azerbaijani citizens, they did note that this terrible incident is a provocative action.

Commenting on the second statement of the co-chairs, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, noted that the second statement clearly notes which of the parties committed the provocation, violated the Geneva Conventions and the negotiation process.

Hajiyev added that the conducted research and the arguments presented prove that the Armenian armed forces in the Alkhanli village targeted the civilian population and civilian objects.

The aggressor country earlier impertinently tried to “justify” the killing stating that Azerbaijan allegedly set firing positions in the frontline villages, and allegedly the Armenian militaries didn’t target civilians.  

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry organizing a trip of foreign military attachés to the frontline village proved that this is another lie of the Armenian side.

The OSCE MG co-chairs also expressed their serious concern over the violation of ceasefire. They reminded the sides of their obligations under the Geneva Conventions to refrain from any hostile action that could lead to unacceptable civilian casualties.

The co-chair countries of the Minsk Group – Russia, France and the U.S. – stressed in the statement the necessity to resume as soon as possible negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict, as the only way to bring peace, prosperity genuine reconciliation to the all people of the region.

Azerbaijan has long ago voiced its readiness to settle the conflict through direct negotiations with Armenia with mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. However, the Armenian side is constantly trying to make up reasons to avoid a constructive dialogue and preserve the unacceptable status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is obvious that the Armenian government led by Serzh Sargsyan is afraid of being overthrown. The current regime still rule the country only thanks to prolongation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict – as soon as it is resolved, Sargsyan and his whole team will have to leave their positions due to their failures in internal and foreign policies. 

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan began in 1988 when the former 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 regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.