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Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Azerbaijan president claims the country strictly observes ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh

Any accusations by Armenia that Azerbaijan initiates de-escalation are absolutely groundless, President Ilham Aliyev sauys

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev

© AP Photo/Susan Walsh

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BAKU, April 8. /TASS/. Azerbaijan strictly observes ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh and hopes that Armenia will do the same, President Ilham Aliyev told a briefing on Friday after talks with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

"Azerbaijan adheres to the negotiations process which has been underway for over 20 years already. Any accusations by Armenia that Azerbaijan initiates de-escalation are absolutely groundless. The nature of clashes that happened at the start of April are evidence that we did not have any plans to start large-scale military actions. We just defended our positions, protected the peaceful life of our citizens," Aliyev said.

On April 2, the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh rapidly deteriorated when the parties to the Karabakh conflict accused each other of violating truce along the front line. The claims came from defense authorities of Armenia and of Azerbaijan. The defense ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan announced cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from 11am on April 5.

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Escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

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Armenia Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh

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