Azerbaijan calls on int'l community to press Armenia

BAKU, Azerbaijan

The Azerbaijani foreign minister on Monday called on the international community to put pressure on Armenia over an attempt by Armenian soldiers in plain clothes to enter Azerbaijani lands illegally.

All international institutions should put pressure on Armenia in this regard, Jeyhun Bayramov told at a joint news conference with Ann Linde, the Swedish foreign minister and chairperson-in-office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, in the capital Baku.

On the peace deal ending fighting between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, Bayramov said that his country fulfilled its obligations regarding prisoners' exchange under the agreement and stressed that sending soldiers to the region after the war is "unacceptable".

"Even now, the Armenian side attempts to send its soldiers in plain clothes to Azerbaijan illegally in trucks at night. We informed all international organizations about this issue, especially the UN," he stated.

Parties should fulfill their responsibilities to ensure sustainable peace in the region, Bayramov added.

In her part, Linde mentioned the changes in the region's situation following the Karabakh deal and pointed out the need for a permanent solution.

Linde also said that she hopes Azerbaijan and Armenia continue exchanging prisoners.

Liberation of Karabakh

The former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan experienced tense relations for almost three decades, after the Armenian military started occupying Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, and seven adjacent regions, in 1991.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27 the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the nearly three-decade-long occupation during the 44-day conflict.

Despite the Nov. 10 deal, the Armenian army several times violated the agreement and martyred several Azerbaijani soldiers and a civilian, as well as wounded several others, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.