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Minister: While the entire world is mobilized to fight COVID-19 pandemic, Armenia resorts to provocation and diversion attempts

28 July 2020 13:48 (UTC +04:00)

"Azerbaijan continues to suffer from the aggression by the Republic of Armenia, as a result of which approximately 20 percent of the Azerbaijani territories are occupied by Armenia. More than a million Azerbaijanis were forced to leave their historical lands and became refugees or internally displaced persons. The four UN Security Council resolutions demanded an immediate, unconditional, and full withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. However, Armenia continues to disregard these resolutions and other documents of international organizations demanding to cease its occupation and aggression," said Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan while his speech at the webinar on “Leveraging the Effects of the Pandemic Towards Regional Cooperation in Asia”, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan told APA.

"While the entire world is mobilized to fight COVID-19 pandemic, Armenia resorts to provocation and diversion attempts to escalate tension. On July 12, 2020, the armed forces of Armenia flagrantly violated the ceasefire and used artillery to fire on the positions of Azerbaijan’s armed forces in the Tovuz district, along the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. As a result of the attacks 12 servicemen, including one major general, of the Azerbaijani armed forces and 1 civilian have been martyred.

Such military recklessness on the part of Armenia pursues an objective of undermining the peace talks and continuing the occupation and aggression against Azerbaijan. By doing so, Armenia's leadership aims to escalate the situation, against the backdrop of socio-economic problems deteriorated further by the widespread of COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia, caused by its incompetent performance, and distract attention from the domestic problems in the country.

The international response toward the provocation has also been overwhelming. Leading international organizations such as the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States and Organization of Islamic Cooperation released statements while the Coordinating Bureau of the Non-Aligned Movement, with the support of its 120 Member States, adopted a communique strongly condemning the attack by the armed forces of Armenia. We would like to express our immense gratitude to brotherly Turkey for demonstrating resolute solidarity in this time of need.

In conclusion, I would like to once again stress the significance of multilateral cooperation in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. It is with mobilized efforts that we can claim victory over this catastrophe in which scientific knowledge and awareness will be of utmost importance," Azerbaijani FM said.