Arab News

Armenian armed forces violate humanitari­an cease-fire

- SHAHIN ABDULLAYEV Shahin Abdullayev is Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.

The occupying Armenian armed forces, in violation of the norms and principles of internatio­nal law, the Geneva Convention­s of 1949 and their Additional Protocols, and the requiremen­ts of the humanitari­an ceasefire agreed after its own persistent requests in Moscow, continue to deliberate­ly target residentia­l settlement­s in Azerbaijan with heavy artillery fire.

As a result of the rocket fire of the Armenian armed forces on an apartment building in the central part of Ganja, the second-largest city in the Republic of Azerbaijan, which is located away from the front line, nine people, including four women, were killed and 34 people, including 16 women and six minors, were injured. Also, more than 10 apartment buildings and over

Armenia’s deliberate firing on civilians, homes, civilian sites and medical personnel violates the fundamenta­l norms of internatio­nal law.

100 different facilities were damaged. Rescue operations are currently underway to rescue civilians trapped under the rubble.

The shelling of civilians and cities by the Armenian armed forces after the agreement for a humanitari­an cease-fire is another clear indication of the barbarism and hypocrisy of the Armenian military and political leadership’s calls for a truce. Armenia’s deliberate firing on civilians, homes, civilian sites and medical personnel as part of its aggressive policy against Azerbaijan once again violates the fundamenta­l norms of internatio­nal law — including internatio­nal humanitari­an law and the Geneva Convention­s — represents a flagrant violation of its obligation­s, and shows that this country is far from ordinary humanism. Armenia’s heavy artillery and rocket fire on civilians, apartment buildings and civilian sites is a clear confirmati­on of the occupying country’s policy of terrorism at state level.

At the same time, the enemy is shamelessl­y trying to cover up its crimes in the foreign media, including by using social networks, and is attempting to deny its illegal actions by circulatin­g reports aimed at evading responsibi­lity for committing them.

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