Azernews.Az

By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu have discussed the implementation of the trilateral peace deal signed by Baku, Mooscow and Yerevan on November 10 to end the 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Foreign Ministry has reported.

In a telephone conversation that took place on December 28, the two ministers also exchanged views on other regional issues of mutual interest.

Cavusoglu is expected to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh at his meeting with Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov as part of his working visit to Sochi on December 29. Cavusoglu will attend the 8th meeting of the Joint Strategic Planning Group operating within the framework of the Russian-Turkish High Cooperation Council.

"The Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh issue will be in the spotlight at the meeting," Cavusoglu told reporters on December 28.

Cavusoglu added that they will continue discussions about the the establishement of a joint Turkish-Russian monitoring centre.

"Azerbaijan's border security and territorial integrity must be within the framework of international law. We will discuss future steps in this regard," he added.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the truce violation by Armenian sabotage groups in Khojavend region in Nagorno-Karabakh on December 27.

"The attacks by Armenia's armed elements that refused to lay down their arms and retreat in Nagorno-Karabakh against the Azerbaijani armed forces are in clear violation of the ceasefire regime established by the trilateral declaration of November 10, 2020," Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said.

"As a result of attacks by Armenian armed groups on November 26, December 8, 11 and 27, there were killed and wounded among the Azerbaijani military and civilians. As one of the signatories to the trilateral statement, Armenia is responsible for the withdrawal of all Armenian armed elements and the observance of the ceasefire. The Azerbaijani side gave the necessary response against the provocations of the Armenian armed elements, using its legal right to self-defence. To establish a lasting peace in the region, Armenia is required to accept reality at the front and fulfill its obligations under the trilateral statement," he said.

The war with Armenia started on September 27 after Armenia's firing at Azerbaijani civilians and military positions. The 44-day war ended on November 10 with the signing of the trilateral statement by the Russian, Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders. The trilateral peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers and historic Shusha city. The Azerbaijani army declared a victory against the Armenian troops. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since early 1990s.

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