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Conflict with Azerbaijan can only be solved peacefully, says Armenia’s PM

According to the Prime Minister, Azerbaijan took military action against the northeast part of Armenian border, ignoring numerous calls for suspension of military conflicts amid the pandemic, reflected in the April 14 joint statement of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and the March 23 UN Secretary General statement

MINSK, July 17. /TASS/. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sees no alternative to peaceful resolution of the conflict on the Azerbaijani border, he said during the Eurasian Inter-governmental Council’s extended meeting in Minsk Friday.

"There is no military solution and there is no alternative to peaceful negotiations, which reflects the interests of all peoples of our region," Pashinyan said.

According to the Prime Minister, Azerbaijan took military action against the northeast part of Armenian border, ignoring numerous calls for suspension of military conflicts amid the pandemic, reflected in the April 14 joint statement of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council and the March 23 UN Secretary General statement.

"The Armenian Armed Forces could not leave these provocative Azerbaijani actions without response," the Prime Minister said. "Unfortunately, provocations continue up to this day, keeping the situation tense and unpredictable," Pashinyan added.

He claimed that Baku’s policies lead to nowhere and will not change Yerevan’s position on settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The situation

The situation at the border escalated on July 12. Azerbaijan claimed that Armenia attempted to attack its positions with artillery, while Armenia claimed that Azerbaijani troops attempted to cross the border. Baku reported 12 servicemen killed since Sunday. Yerevan reported four servicemen killed and 10 injured. On July 17, both nations said that the situation at the border is relatively calm.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 under the OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs - Russia, France and the United States.