Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The Armenian armed forces still continue unceasingly firing at the Azerbaijani troops and the settlements near to frontline to keep tension on the contact line, hindering the ongoing peace process over the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The ceasefire violations continued ahead of and after the meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs last week in Paris.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, as a continuation of the Kiev meetings, held separate meetings with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian on 23-24 January in Paris.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev issued a statement on January 24, saying substantive, concrete and intensive discussions on settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict were held during the meetings.

Mammadyarov has stressed Baku's position, saying, the sooner Armenian forces pull out from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, the faster an earlier solution of the conflict could be reached within the international law, Abdullayev said.

During the meeting with the co-chairs an agreement was reached to continue discussions on a range of issues.

Restoration of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity and sovereignty is the basis of negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the statement said.

Following the meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs issued statement noting that the ministers reiterated their willingness to continue working towards a peaceful, negotiated settlement.

The co-chairs expressed their deep concern over continued violence in the region and stressed that recent incidents undermine negotiations and diminish the prospects for peace.

Also, Personal representative of the OSCE chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk briefed the co-chairs on recent developments on the border and the line of contact. The co-chairs called on the sides to fully and unconditionally respect the terms of the ceasefire agreement.

The co-chairs plan to travel to the region in the coming weeks to continue talks with the presidents.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on January 27 that the ceasefire has been violated on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in different positions 204 times a day.

The Armenian armed forces fired at positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the village of Agdam in the Azerbaijani Tovuz region from positions in the village of Agdam in the Armenian Berd region.

Azerbaijani positions were also fired at from the nameless heights and positions located near Goradiz, Garakhanbayli, Gorgan, Ashagi Seidahmadli, Ashagi Veyselli, Ashagi Abdurrahmanli in the Fizuli region, Marzili, Yusifjanli, Namirli and Bash Gervend in the Agdam region, Goyarh, Chilayburt in the Tartar region, Tapgaragoyunlu village in the Goranboy region, Kuropatkino village in the Khojavand region.

Earlier, Armenian armed forces fired on the Azerbaijani divisions and the OSCE monitoring group members, who arrived in the contact line to monitor the ceasefire violations under the mandate of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative, on January 23.

The same day, the Armenian army shot dead an Azerbaijani officer, Captain Elnur Jafarov, amid growing tension along the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijan troops.

Also, a resident of the village near to the frontline was wounded, as a result of the Armenian armed forces' shelling of the villages located near the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in the Tovuz region.

Baku accused Yerevan, saying the full responsibility for tension on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops falls on this state.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said as a result of Armenian side's numerous provocative actions in recent days and intensive ceasefire violations, the captain of Azerbaijani armed forces, was killed by a sniper, one civilian was injured, a school was shelled during studies there, as well as, homes and private households of civilians, living in areas near the contact line, were subjected to fire.

The Ministry said Armenia continues its provocative actions, making threats and purposefully worsening the situation, and speaking about the "confidence and peace-building measures" it only seeks to deceive the international community and divert the Armenian community's attention from the events taking place on the contact line and the true essence of these events.

It went on to say that all responsibility for the events taking place on the contact line falls on Armenia, which occupied Azerbaijan's territories and conducts a policy of aggression towards Azerbaijan.

Disregarding the UN Security Council resolutions, the UN Charter and the norms and principles of international law, the Armenian armed forces continue occupation of Azerbaijan's territories and are a major source of tension and a major obstacle to a peaceful settlement of the conflict and restoration of peace in the region, the Ministry said.

It said in the first place, the Armenian armed forces must be withdrawn from Azerbaijan's occupied territories for settlement of the conflict, noting this is the shortest and the most effective way to resolve this conflict.

The United States also expressed concern over the recent ceasefire violations on the contact line.

U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf said at press briefing last week, the use of force will not resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"We've seen the reports and regret any loss of life anywhere, but certainly here as well. And our position remains that the use of force will not resolve this conflict. We call on all parties to refrain from the use or threat of force", Harf said.

Harf said that, U.S. remains deeply committed to working with Azerbaijan and Armenia to achieve a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the US and the OSCE Minsk Group are underway on the basis of a peaceful outline -called Madrid Principle -proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.