PACE co-rapporteurs on Azerbaijan and Armenia call on parties to back to negotiating table

Baku. 7 July. REPORT.AZ/ The co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Armenia and Azerbaijan by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have expressed their concern at the escalation of violence near Alkhani village in the Fuzili region, and regretted that this has led to casualties among which are civilians, including reportedly a two-year-old child.

Report informs, Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC) and Giuseppe Galati (Italy, EPP/CD), co-rapporteurs for Armenia, together with Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC) and Cezar Preda (Romania, EPP/CD), co-rapporteurs for Azerbaijan, called on all sides to respect the ceasefire in place and to return to the negotiating table under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group. They stressed that there can be no military solution to this conflict and reminded both Armenia and Azerbaijan of their accession commitment to resolve their differences peacefully.

The co-rapporteurs wish to extend their heartfelt condolences to the families of all victims.

Notably, on July 4 at 20:40 the Armenian armed forces subjected to fire the Alkhanli village of Fuzuli region aiming to kill population and destroy property of citizens using 82 and 120 millimeter mortars and heavy grenade launchers.

As a result of this provocation of Armenia, villagers Allahverdiyeva Sahiba Idris (born in 1967) and Guliyeva Zahra Elnur (born in 2015) were killed. Guliyeva Selminaz Iltifat (born in 1965), who has got fragment wounds as a result of the shelling, has been taken to the military hospital and was operated on.

Criminal case has been initiated by Fuzuli District Prosecutor's Office on following articles of the Criminal code of the Azerbaijan Republic:

116.0.6. implementation of large-scale distractions which have been not caused by military necessity; 116.0.7. attack on unprotected territories, settlements and zones of disarmament;

116.0.8. attack without military necessity on objects which are not in military purpose, clearly seen and distinctive, including especially protected historical, religious, educational objects, objects of art, scientific, charitable, medical objects or locations of patients and wounded persons;

116.0.10. attack on civilians or on separate civil persons who are not participating in fights;

120.2.7. Deliberate murder of two or more persons; 29,120.2.7. Attempt to a crime and deliberate murder of two or more persons;

120.2.12. on motive of national, racial, religious hatred or enmity.

The investigation is underway.