AZERBAIJAN REJECTS ARMENIA’S ACCUSATIONS ABOUT VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW: FOREIGN MINISTRY
Trend News Agency
July 25 2008
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan rejects Armenia’s accusations about violation of
international humanitarian law.
"Armenia, which occupied Azerbaijani territory, tries through
its statements and accusations about violation by Azerbaijan
of international humanitarian law to place on Azerbaijan the
responsibility for all its own illegal and contradicting to
international law actions," Spokesman for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry
Khazar Ibrahim said to Trend News on 25 July.
On 24 July, the head of working group of Armenia’s State Committee
on captives, hostages and missing people Armen Kaprielyan said
Azerbaijan violates international humanitarian law, still keeping
the four Armenians who were taken captives in April, and that Armenia
would draw the attention of international community to the issue.
Four Armenian servicemen were detained in the Nakhchivan Autonomous
Republic (NAR) of Azerbaijan in April 2008.
Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry stated the servicemen are spetsnaz
(special forces) members preparing to commit sabotage in Azerbaijan.
The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group (Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.