Azerbaijani FM mulls Armenian provocation with OSCE MG co-chairs

Baku, Azerbaijan, July 5 By Seba Aghayeva – Trend: Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov discussed the latest Armenian provocation against Azerbaijan with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs Igor Popov and Stephane Visconti, said Spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev, commenting on the latest developments on the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops. He made the remarks in Baku July 5 at a joint briefing attended by officials of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry and the Prosecutor General’s Office. “The foreign minister brought to their [OSCE MG co-chairs’] attention the serious concern of the Azerbaijani side and stated that Armenia’s actions are aimed solely at the escalation of the situation and disruption of negotiations,” Hajiyev said. Armenia's actions are intentional as Yerevan is well aware that civilians live in those areas that were subjected to fire, according to him. On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces again violated ceasefire and, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled Azerbaijani positions and territories where the civilian population lives, namely the Alkhanli village of the country’s Fuzuli district, thereby grossly violating the requirements of international law, the Azerbaijani defense ministry said earlier. As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sakhiba Guliyeva, 50, and Zakhra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Servinaz Guliyeva, 52, who got wounded, was taken to the hospital and was operated on. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.