Angela Merkel phones President Ilham Aliyev

On September 29, Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her country's concern over the armed clashes on the line of contact between Armenia and Azerbaijan and inquired about the events.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that on the morning of September 27, Armenia committed a military provocation against Azerbaijan and shelled military units, towns, and Azerbaijan villages along the contact line, using heavy artillery. As a result,  Azerbaijani servicemen, 10 civilians, including two children, were killed, 29 civilians were wounded, and 150 houses were destroyed. The head of state said the Azerbaijani side launched a counter-offensive operation.

The President noted that previously Armenia committed military provocations against Azerbaijan in July-August and killed Azerbaijani service members and civilians. President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that these provocations were a continuation of Armenia's policy of aggression against Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani President noted that the Armenian Prime Minister's statement "Karabakh is Armenia, full stop" made the negotiation process senseless. The Armenian leadership's demand that Azerbaijan negotiates with the self-styled "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" should be assessed as an attempt to change the format of negotiations. Simultaneously, the head of state said that the Armenian defense minister had threatened Azerbaijan with a new war for new territories, adding that this plan was being implemented in reality.

President Ilham Aliyev stressed that Armenia's military-political leadership was responsible for further development of events in the wake of Armenia's military provocation, saying the Azerbaijani Army was fighting on its land and the Armenian army should not be present on the Azerbaijani soil.

President Ilham Aliyev added that Armenia was conducting a policy of illegal settlement of foreign citizens in Azerbaijan's occupied territories, which is a gross violation of international law under the Geneva Convention, adding that it is considered a war crime.

During the telephone conversation, the sides also discussed possibilities to restore the ceasefire and the negotiation process.