Deputy PM: Armenia in one form or another makes provocations on threshold of negotiations

By Trend

Armenia in one form or another makes provocations on the threshold of negotiations, Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Chairman and Executive Secretary of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party Ali Ahmadov told reporters, Trend reports.

He emphasized that Azerbaijan strongly condemns the Armenian side for the killing of an Azerbaijani serviceman.

Ahmadov noted that this is not the first time that, on the threshold of negotiations between the two sides, Armenia commits provocations in one form or another. The goal is to damage the negotiations and disrupt the negotiation process, he added.

"Committing various provocations, including crimes such as killing people, they are trying to disrupt negotiations. Thus, they want to maintain the status quo," he said.

The deputy prime minister added that this causes sharp criticism from the international community.

"Azerbaijan has repeatedly and categorically stated that it supports of a peaceful settlement of the conflict, but with the condition that the Armenian side demonstrates a constructive position in the settlement. If the Armenian side continues to adhere to its previous position, then Azerbaijan, using its natural law and relying on its power, will take the most effective measures to ensure its territorial integrity," he said.

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, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.