Armenia warns of tough response to Azerbaijani provocations along contact line
20.11.2012,
14:36
Armenian Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan said Armenia’s response to all provocations along the line of contact will be tough.
YEREVAN, November 20. /ARKA/. Armenian Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan said Armenia’s response to all provocations along the line of contact will be tough.
Despite continuous efforts by international community, OSCE Minsk Group in particular, and despite Armenia’s contractive stance, Azerbaijan remains an advocate of military solution to the conflict, Ohanyan said at a scientific conference on security issues held in Yerevan, ArmNews TV channel reports.
Armenian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Shavarsh Kocharyan said that Baku’s unwillingness to negotiate directly with Nagorno-Karabakh Republic means that Baku does not want to settle the conflict.
The Karabakh conflict started in 1988 when prevailingly Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh declared withdrawal from Azerbaijan. 99.89% of population of Nagorno-Karabakh voted for independence from Azerbaijan in a referendum held on December 10, 1991.
Azerbaijan responded by large-scale military operations that led to loss of control not only over Nagorno-Karabakh itself, but also over seven adjoining areas. About 25-30 thousands people were killed and about a million had to leave their homes during the military operations.
A trilateral cease-fire agreement was signed on May 12, 2004, and has been followed since then.
The ongoing Karabakh peace process started in 1992 under auspices of OSCE Minsk Group. -0-
