Head of Russian Investigative comments on aggravation of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Bastrykin has commented on the aggravation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

According to him, the recent escalation demonstrates repeated attempts by forces, which Russia as an adversary, to create a hotbed of war at the border with of the Russian Federation.

"Recent developments in Nagorno-Karabakh reflect repeated attempts of opposition forces, which resist Russia, to undermine the peace between the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples and create another hotbed of war at the border with Russia," the head of the Investigative Committee wrote in an article published today in Kommersant-Vlast.

He also noted that "it's no coincidence that in the early 1990s numerous ethnic conflicts began to emerge almost simultaneously,’’ including Karabakh.

Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US, are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.