TODAY.AZ / Politics

Armenia does not seek to resolve Karabakh conflict peacefully - US military expert

28 October 2020 [18:21] - TODAY.AZ

By Trend


Armenia refuses to budge unless they get what they want - keep the Nagorno Karabakh region, US-based military expert Benjamin Minik told Trend.

“Armenia has a nationalist mentality. That means that for their own reasons they believe that they have a claim to the Nagorno Karabakh region. I do not believe that they seek to resolve the situation peacefully,” Minik said.

He added that Armenia has no intention to utilize the concept of ceasefire for anything other than an opportunity to reassess the battlefield and resupply.

“Azerbaijan has historical documentation to support its claims. This comes in the form of recognized UN resolutions and even the Soviet-era documents. Armenia has the desire, and the fact that they have held control of the territory as an occupying force,” Minik said.

He also emphasized that Azerbaijan wants peace.

“Armenia refuses to come to that conclusion, and there are many reasons why. In this case, Armenia refuses to budge unless they get what they want,” he said.

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on Sept. 27. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. Currently, Azerbaijan continues the liberation of its territories from Armenian troops.

Back in July 2020, the Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district. As a result of Azerbaijan's retaliation, the opposing forces were silenced. The fighting continued the following days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian Armed Forces.

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, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

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

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/199501.html

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