In her article named “Azerbaijan is restoring its territorial integrity”, Nurullayeva said that at the recent meeting of the UN Security Council, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, repeatedly stated that “We have never had any intentions to occupy anyone else’s land. The armed forces of Azerbaijan have no intentions, or plans relating to the territory of Armenia, or anywhere else. However, we will most certainly defend ourselves within the borders of our own country”.
“Azerbaijan has always wanted a peaceful resolution of the conflict through diplomatic negotiations. By contrast, the Armenian leadership has disrupted the negotiation process by various means – making statements on the involvement of Nagorno Karabakh in the negotiation process as a third party, contrasting the positions of co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and making new territorial claims against Azerbaijan,” Nurullayeva wrote.
“Additionally, recent provocations by Armenian armed forces have intensified along the borders and frontlines. As a logical result of this, the tensions in the conflict zone have risen to their highest level, making military operations inevitable. Unfortunately, losses are inevitable. However, this time Armenia is again violating fundamental humanitarian principles by targeting its military activity at our civilian population. In the past three days, 16 Azerbaijani civilians have been killed and 55 civilians have been injured. In July, this same shelling of civilians occurred along our border in the Tovuz region, resulting in the death of a 76-year-old resident of the village of Aghdam. In doing this, Armenia is brutally violating Article 49 of the Geneva Convention, as well as several articles in the Paragraph 3. Azerbaijan is keeping the international community regularly informed about these abuses of the Convention,” the MP said in the article.
“The battles are still ongoing. The harsh truth is that citizens of Azerbaijan have been living apart from their ancestral native homelands for nearly 30 years, as refugees and internally displaced people. Our citizens, who were expelled by force from their ancestral lands by the Armenian leadership, are now eager to return to their former homes. This is the absolute right of the citizens of Azerbaijan. In accordance with all requirements of international law, the use of any kind of opportunity may be considered to restore the territorial integrity of a state. Azerbaijan will therefore restore its territorial integrity and sovereignty based on the norms and principles of international law,” she said.
Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars and artillery on Sept. 27.
Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.
Military actions continued on Sept. 29 - Oct. 1. According to a statement from Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, the Armenian armed forces have suffered heavy losses along the entire front line from Sept. 27 through Sept. 30, including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery installations, rocket launch systems, as well as command and observation posts, air defense systems, etc.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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