By Azernews

By Vugar Khalilov

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said that there is no alternative to resolving tensions with Armenia through constructive dialogue, the Foreign Ministry reported on November 18.

Bayramov made the remarks in a telephone conversation with his Swedish counterpart, OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ann Linde on November 18.

"Bringing to the attention of Minister Ann Linde that Armenia did not respond to Azerbaijan's appeal to start the delimitation process on the basis of the principles of international law, Jeyhun Bayramov said that there is no alternative to resolving the issue through constructive dialogue," the ministry said.

Linde expressed concern over the tensions on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border on November 16 and called on both sides to refrain from escalation and engage in a constructive dialogue.

Bayramov described the recent tension on the state border with Armenia as the latter's provocative step against Azerbaijan. He briefed the Swedish counterpart about Armenia’s military provocations against Azerbaijan starting since November 8, 2021.

He drew Linde's attention to the former Armenian defence minister's illegal visit to Azerbaijani territories, the concentration of about 60 Armenian military personnel in the direction of Azerbaijan’s military positions in Lachin region, the attack by Armenian terrorists on the Azerbaijani post near Shusha, Armenia’s ongoing shelling of Azerbaijani army positions in Kalbajar and Lachin.

Bayramov stressed that the Armenian military-political leadership bears sole responsibility for escalating the regional situation and blocking the fulfilment of the trilateral statement.

Furthermore, the two ministers focused on preparations for the OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Stockholm, as well as other issues of mutual interest.

Seven Azerbaijani servicemen were killed and 10 were wounded during military operations on the state border with Armenia on November 16.

On November 17, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported that the situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border has stabilized since the evening of November 16. 

A Moscow-brokered ceasefire deal that Baku and Yerevan signed on November 10, 2020, brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 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 had occupied since the early 1990s.

The 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 centres, and historic Shusha city.