Comments by Hikmat Hajiyev, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the escalation of situation in the frontline area
According to the information by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, recently, Armenia has set to commit provocative-sabotage acts, and violate the ceasefire intensively by using large-caliber weapons, trench mortars, grenade launchers and other heavy weapons along the contact line of Armenia and Azerbaijan forces and through the borders of two countries.
During the last few days, as a consequence of Armenia’s deliberately perpetrated irresponsible and military venture kind of acts, two servicemen of Armed Forces of Azerbaijan were killed and two soldiers sustained wounds.
Armenia, at the very same time when 22nd Meeting of the OSCE Ministerial Council taking place in Belgrade, OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs holding meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia and at the level of Foreign Ministers issue a statement on the resolution of the conflict, resorting to such provocative acts, aims at deliberate escalation of the situation, by all means disruption of the negotiation process, avoiding any progress in the settlement of conflict and maintaining the status quo, which is unsustainable and unacceptable.
Right after the Paris meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in 2014, initiated by H.E Francois Hollande, the President of France, using exactly the same scenario, Armenia conducted large-scale provocative military exercises in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, with the involvement of 46.000 personnel and more than 5000 military equipment and instigated the well-known helicopter incident.
Presence of Armenian armed forces in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan remains a main obstacle in the settlement of the conflict and serves for the escalation of situation and occurrence of incidents. Azerbaijan repeatedly stated that in order to achieve the settlement of the conflict and restore the sustainable peace in the region, first and foremost, withdrawal of the military forces of Armenia shall be ensured, as demanded by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.
Otherwise, all responsibility for the current situation lies with Armenia, as an aggressor and occupant state.