Azerbaijan’s refusal to meet international commitments is the reason behind ceasefire violations

PanARMENIAN.Net - What’s important is that the ceasefire in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone signed in 1994 has practically been maintained up to the present day, Armenia's top diplomat said.

“Certain incidents do actually take place. To avoid them, there were suggestions from the international community, the OSCE, the co-chairmen of the Minsk group, supported by Armenia, on undertaking measures to consolidate the ceasefire, pull out the snipers from the line of contact and an offer to reach agreement on non-use of force,” Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in an interview with Russia Today.

“Unfortunately, Azerbaijan refuses to implement those proposals of the international community. That is the reason of numerous incidents, which happen from time to time at the contact line. And regarding what you are saying, that a few Azeri soldiers were killed in the last year incidents, it’s not so at all. In June of last year the meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan took place in Saint-Petersburg on the initiative of President Dmitry Medvedev and was dedicated to the discussion of the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh, and immediately on the night after the meeting the Azeris carried out a provocation at the contact line. 5 Armenian soldiers were killed. The person, who killed those Armenians and who was killed himself, was awarded the title of national hero, a street and school were named in his honor, and a film about him was ordered to be shot,” he said.

“After the Astrakhan meeting between the Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, an agreement was reached to exchange the dead bodies and the so-called prisoners of war. The body of that man was transferred to Azerbaijan. Although it’s obvious that such an exchange could not be used for propaganda purposes, Azerbaijan made a celebration of the body’s returning, and the Azeri authorities set that young man as an idol to all the youth saying that they should follow his example, calling him a shahid. It was not the first time that Azeri authorities tried to give a religious coloring to such an event, including through the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC),” the Minister said.