Oktay Bayramov
Azerbaijan State News Agency’s representative for the Middle East
Since September 27, after the next military provocation of the Armenian military forces the Azerbaijani Army has begun operations on the liberation of occupying by Armenia 30 years ago territories and getting back almost 4 cities and 200 villages after one month battles.
All of us will never support any military conflict and the war in South Caucasus region is a tragedy for the both sides. But when Azerbaijan’s army has been follow the humanitarian principle and does not fire at the civilians, unfortunately losing the war on the battlefield the Armenian side continues to shelling non-military infrastructure and killing innocent people. Since the beginning of the military operations in the territory of Azerbaijan was killed 91 civilians and 400 wounded. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch already have approved that Armenian military forces uses a prohibited cluster bomb against the civilians.
On the 10th of October, the humanitarian ceasefire was announced. The next day Armenian military forces launched a ballistic missile attack on Ganja from the territory of Armenia and 10 people were killed. The three co-chair countries of the Minsk Group definitely know who did it. The second time they did the same, they violated the ceasefire two minutes after it was announced. And the third time when they launched a cluster bomb on the city of Tartar. Four people were killed among them one seven-year-old girl.
Although the aggressive conduct of the Armenian side and the fact that they are flagrantly violating international law, the Geneva Conventions, and committing war crimes does not suggest that they are going to discuss the substance of the settlement issue, of course. Attacking peaceful cities with cluster munitions is a war crime.
On other hand there is an absolutely recent example. It is an exchange of dead bodies and prisoners in question. Basically, this subject was first mentioned for humanitarian reasons in Moscow on 10 October. Azerbaijan had contacted the Red Cross to say, ‘Let’s organize a swap.’ And the Armenian side refuses to take them every time.
The war unfortunately is continued. But for the future of our nations we must to preserve our human face and to follow the humanitarian rules of the battle.
