Monday, August 4 2014

Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan has published a statement over escalating tension on the Line of Contact in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone.  The ministry calls the Armenian party as the 'initiator' of the upsurge in tension on the Line of Contact. 

"Official Yerevan, which initiated and ordered these provocative actions, bears full responsibility for the evolving dangerous situation," the Azerbaijani ministry says.

Further in the statement, the ministry blames Armenia for 'refusal to implement the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, for the policy of ruthless ethnic cleansing and the expulsion of over a million people from their native homes, as well as for its latest provocative steps, which undermine the peace process, provide strongreasons for Armenia to be subjected to substantial sanctions by the international community.  For conclusion, Baku voices its long-cherished desire to return the territories under control of Armenia.  "The sooner Armenia realizes' this, the sooner region will restore peace, stability and predictability," the Azerbaijani ministry says in the statement.  

Earlier, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian commented on the ongoing situation on the Line on Contact to Armenian media outlets: 
"We strongly condemn the provocative actions of recent days on the Line of Contact between Nagorno- Karabakh and Azerbaijan and on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which resulted in the loss of many lives and sharply raised the tension. We express our deepest condolences to the families and relatives of the victims of the Azerbaijani attacks.

Baku continues to grossly violate the ceasefire agreements from May, 1994 and February, 1995, ignore the calls of the Heads of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries to refrain from provocative actions and from the escalation of the situation, and the appeals of the international community that through the use of force the conflict can not be resolved , and that only through negotiations stability and peace can be achieved. The recurrent adventurism of Baku pursues an aim to undermine the negotiation process.

Being the initiator and instigator of the provocations, Azerbaijan is trying to put their responsibility on the other sides. However, it is obvious that by rejecting the proposals of the international community on the establishment of a mechanism of investigation of incidents, Azerbaijan is assuming the whole responsibility for the ceasefire violations.

It is high time for the international community to sober the Azerbaijani leadership which has lost the sense of reality and is going against the value-system of the international community.

Together with the Co-Chair countries Armenia will take the necessary steps for halting the provocative acts, for the stabilization of the situation, for continuation of the negotiation process aimed at the settlement of the conflict exclusively through peaceful means."