Asim Mollazade: ‘’We believe that the OSCE Minsk Group performs the function of refrigerator"

On the night of April 2nd all the border positions of Azerbaijan were shelled from large-caliber weapons, mortars, rocket-propelled grenades and guns. In addition, a number of shots were fired at settlements near the frontline, densely populated by civilians.. The deputy of Milli Majlis, Asim Mollazade, comments on the situation in a conversation with the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza

- Why did the situation suddenly escalate?

- The situation escalated not suddenly. For a long time the Armenian armed forces are shelling the settlements, and civilians become the victims. A lot of civilians were killed. I think that the main reason for the resumption of the hostilities is related to the intention of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to stop the provocation by the Armenian side, which leads to the deaths of civilians.

- How will the situation affect the negotiation process?

- There is no negotiation process. There is only an imitation. We believe that the OSCE Minsk Group performs the function of refrigerator - it freezes the conflict. 20 years ago the Minsk Group received certain сompetency, but no real steps have been done. We are talking about the implementation of the UN Security Council’s resolution, it is a withdrawal of the Armenian forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. No work has been carried out in this direction. There is such an ‘international tourism’ - there is an imitation of the negotiation process in the best capitals of Europe, the world, but in fact, we are witnessing the powerlessness of the Minsk Group. The main reason for this is  that the OSCE Minsk Group in its activity does not follow the international legal norms. This is a kind of the legal nihilism. The rules of law have been completely forgotten  by the UN and the OSCE itself. As a result there is a complete inactivity and only attempts to freeze the conflict.