Administration of President
Hikmat Hajiyev: Azerbaijan abided by humanitarian ceasefire, while Armenia committed act of vandalism against civilians
Assistant the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Head of the Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration made a speech at a briefing held on October 11 for foreign military attachés accredited in Azerbaijan and representatives of international organizations in the country.
Hajiyev provided detailed information about the missile attack launched by the Armenian armed forces on Ganja, the second largest city of Azerbaijan.
He noted that Armenia’s missile attack on a densely populated area was aimed at killing a large number of people.
“The city of Ganja, located far from the contact line, came under a missile attack from Vardenis district of Armenia. The Armenian armed forces fired at Azerbaijani cities with Smerch and Scud missiles. Meanwhile, Mingachevir, the industrial city of Azerbaijan, is also subjected to a missile attack,” the presidential aide said.
Hajiyev stressed that Armenia’s actions contradict the humanitarian ceasefire agreement reached in Moscow.
“Azerbaijan abided by the humanitarian ceasefire, while Armenia committed an act of vandalism against the civilian population. International organizations must put political pressure on Armenia,” he added.
The presidential aide noted that Azerbaijan has always remained committed to the negotiation process through the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group.
“Unfortunately, Armenia, in a gross violation of all agreements, opened fire on the civilian population. Armenia itself admits that it wants to achieve some goal by attacking civilians. Armenia continues targeting settlements along the line of contact, as well as settlements located 100 km away from the contact line,” he said.
“If Armenia continues these actions, Azerbaijan will take retaliatory measures in line with international law. We are fighting against the armed forces of Armenia, the civilian population is not our target. The military should fight on the battlefield and not wage war against the civilian population,” Hajiyev added.
Hajiyev reiterated that Azerbaijan is conducting military operations within its sovereign territory.
He noted that Armenia's actions pose a serious threat to peace in the region.
“Armenia is shelling Azerbaijani cities from its territory. Armenia is also targeting energy infrastructure, which poses a threat not only to Azerbaijan, but also to other countries,” the presidential aide concluded.