Azerbaijan urges int'l steps against Armenian provocations

By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani Human Rights Commissioner Sabina Aliyeva has urged decisive international measures against Armenia, which threatens lasting peace and development through its provocations, Trend has reported.

"We regret to inform you that on January 11, at noon, the Armenian armed forces once again carried out a provocation in the direction of Kalbajar region of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border. As a result of sniper fire, soldier of the Azerbaijani army Ayaz Nazarov has died," Aliyeva said in her statement

The rights commissioner called on international agencies to act against the human rights violations committed by Armenia.

"I call on international and regional organizations, foreign ombudsmen and national human rights institutions to respond to the human rights violations committed by Armenia in the region and to take decisive measures in accordance with the norms and principles of international law to prevent such actions that threaten lasting peace and development,"  she said.

Aliyeva stressed Azerbaijan strongly condemned "such provocative actions aimed at violating fundamental human rights, contrary to the provisions of the tripartite statements of November 10, 2020, and November 26, 2021 on the complete cessation of hostilities and all military operations between the parties, and demand that Armenia respects the internationally recognized territorial integrity of Azerbaijan".

In a separate statement, the rights commissioner condemned Armenian crimes that are happening abroad. According to the information in mass media, US-based Armenian radicals hung a photo of Armenian terrorist Gurgen Yanikyan, who killed Turkish diplomats in California in 1973, in front of the Consulate General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles. Aliyeva commented that this reaffirms the continuation of provocative actions by Armenia against Azerbaijan in foreign countries as well, with incitement to hatred, which hinders the implementation of the ideas of sustainable peace and reconciliation between peoples.

"I strongly condemn these calls for ethnic violence against Azerbaijan through the Armenian Diaspora organizations, I call on Armenia to refrain from provocative actions aimed at inciting an armed conflict in the region, to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and also adhere to the principles of mutually beneficial cooperation, good neighborliness, and peaceful coexistence,” she stated.

The situation escalated on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border after an Azerbaijani soldier was killed in a provocation by the Armenian armed forces in the direction of Kalbajar region on January 11.

Two Armenian servicemen were killed and two more were wounded as a result of Armenia's own military provocation, Trend reported with reference to the Armenian Defence Ministry.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry stated that “the Armenian military and political leadership bear full responsibility for the occurred tension”.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Military Prosecutor’s Office filed a criminal action against the killing of Azerbaijani serviceman Ayaz Nazarov under Criminal Code Article 120.2.12 (murder with intent to incite national, racial, religious hatred or enmity), the Prosecutor-General’s Office reported on January 12.

The worst escalation of tension was registered on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border on November 16, 2021. As a result, seven Azerbaijani servicemen were killed and 10 were wounded during military operations in Kalbajar and Lachin on the state border.

The trilateral ceasefire deal signed by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, ended the three-decade conflict over Azerbaijan’s Karabakh region which along with the seven adjacent regions came under the occupation of Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

On January 11, 2021, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed the second statement since the end of the 44-day war. The newly-signed statement was set to implement clause 9 of the November 2020 statement related to the unblocking of all economic and transport communications in the region.

On November 26, 2021, the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders signed a statement and agreed on a number of issues, including the demarcation and delimitation of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border by late 2021, some points related to humanitarian issues and the issue of unblocking of transport corridors which applies to the railway and to automobile communications.

On December 14, 2021, during the Brussels meeting, organized between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders at the initiative of European Council President Charles Michel, the sides reaffirmed their commitment to the conditions agreed in the Sochi meeting.

Both sides agreed to establish a temporary working group on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

The issue of demining the liberated territories of Azerbaijan was also brought up on the agenda, and the European Union's readiness to provide technical assistance to Azerbaijan in this regard was underlined at the meeting.