"We agree to seek a peaceful solution, but there must be withdrawal of all military forces of Armenia now occupying Azerbaijan`s territories," the ambassador said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Azerbaijans Ambassador to Indonesia Tamerlan Garayev asked Armenia to withdraw its military forces from the occupied territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We agree to seek a peaceful solution, but there must be withdrawal of all military forces of Armenia now occupying Azerbaijans territories," he told a news conference on Escalation of Armenian Aggression Against Azerbaijan, here on Friday.

According to him, Armenia had occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijans territories, as a result of which one million Azerbaijanis find themselves displaced from their homes.

"How can there be peace if Armenia continues to occupy our territories and the military remains there?" he asked.

He noted that on April 2, 2016, Armenia intensified its military activity in the conflict area and also indulged in a number of violations of international humanitarian law which tantamount to crimes against humanity.

Ambassador Garayev pointed out that as a result of Armenias bombardment of 32 settlements, six people were killed, including two children below the age of 16 years. Also, 24 residents were seriously wounded.

In addition, substantial damages were inflicted upon private and public property, including civilian critical infrastructure, such as 206 private houses, 69 electric poles, two electrical substations, water pipelines and gas pipelines.

"The mosque was hit during prayer with high-caliber artillery shells," he stated.

He noted that Armenia directed missile attacks against public facilities including schools, hospitals and places of worship. A total of 30 school buildings were damaged by the attacks.

"As a result of the attacks, many people have lost their basic rights to life, health, property, education, communication and worship," he remarked.

He added that Azerbaijan had taken appropriate measures to counter the Armenian military forces adventures against its territorial integrity and sovereignty and to ensure the safety of civilians and property within its internationally recognized borders.

Ambassador Garayev underlined that the United Nations (UN) and the world know well that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijans territories, and there is only one country, namely Armenia, which did not recognize the sovereignty of Azerbaijan over these territories.

According to a Reuters report, Azerbaijan and Armenia were two countries under the former Soviet Union, which engaged in a war to fight over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh in the early 1990s. Thousands of people died in that war and hundreds of thousands were displaced.

The war ended through a ceasefire in 1994 but the violence never stopped. The truce was threatened by a fierce battle that began on April 2, 2016, in which a number of people from both sides have died.

At the press conference, he stated the people of Indonesia must know the real conditions prevailing in the Nagorno-Karabakh region in order to encourage efforts to resolve the conflict. (*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2016