ArmInfo. By stating that after Armenian troops are withdrawn, the ceasefire will not be violated and there will be no need to introduce any investigative mechanisms, Baku actually indirectly confirms the fact that it is Azerbaijan that violates the ceasefire and refuses to implement investigative mechanisms, Nagorno-Karabakh President's Spokesman David Babayan has told ArmInfo, when commenting on Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev's statement.
The latest official statement of Baku once again demonstrates the entire destructive policy of Azerbaijan. "Following this logic, one can say that the agreements signed in 1994-95 and confirmed in Moscow after the April escalation are senseless, because it is all the same to Azerbaijan whether these agreements exist or not, for it will behave the way it wants. According to this logic, Azerbaijan will strive to "liberate" both Yerevan and Western Azerbaijan, which is in Iran. It is nothing but manifestation of fascism," Babayan says.
Babayan also refutes the remarks of Hajiyev, who said that the provocation on the Armenian-Azeri state border on 29 Dec 2016 was planned by Armenia and aimed to involve the CSTO in the conflict. "What is that to the CSTO? Earlier Azerbaijan also violated the ceasefire on the Armenian-Azeri border. Visiting the Armenian near-border villages, any expert will see the traces of Azeri aggression. This is another provocation. I think the OSCE Minsk Group and the entire international community should react more seriously to such actions and statements of Baku and they should give an adequate assessment, because Baku's steps seriously harm the talks," Babayan says.
When speaking of Baku's allegations regarding the delay in repatriation of the Azeri serviceman's body, Babayan notes that the Armenian side does not need that body and that it will be repatriated sooner or later. "That body clearly demonstrates who initiated the sabotage attack. I see no political background here. I suppose the Azeri raider's body will be repatriated after certain procedures," he says.
He also stresses that the remains of the resident of Chinari village, who was tortured in Azerbaijan, have not been repatriated to Armenia so far and no one speaks about it.
To note, Spokesman of Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry Hikmat Hajiyev in an interview to APA touching upon the statement by the Armenian Foreign Minister that Azerbaijan does not observe 1994-1995 agreements on ceasefire and refuses to implement mechanisms of investigation of incidents, stated: ''This claim of the Armenian foreign minister is illogical and absolutely contrary to the cause-and-effect category. Incidents are effects, and the cause is the presence of the Armenian troops in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. There will be no cause for incidents and ultimately no reason to investigate them after the Armenian troops completely and unconditionally withdraw from Azerbaijan's occupied territories in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions. In accordance with the substantive talks held in Vienna and St. Petersburg on settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the technical support task such as the investigation of incidents should be an integral part of the process of Armenian troops' withdrawal from the occupied Azerbaijani territories. Armenia, in order to avoid a settlement based on substantive talks, deliberately focuses the attention on issues such as the investigation of incidents''.
Hajiyev also accused Armenia of initiating sabotage on Armenian-Azerbaijani state border aiming to involve CSTO in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. According to him ''pro-Armenian'' comments by the former CSTO secretary general Nikolay Bordyuzha once again prove that the provocation was pre-planned. He also stated that Armenia refuses to hand over body of Azerbaijani soldier, who was killed on December 29, 2016 by Armenian Armed Forces.