Baku Wants Peaceful Solution to Karabakh Conflict - Presidential Aide

Baku wants to peacefully resolve the long-simmering Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Yerevan, the Azerbaijani Presidential Aide for Security Issues said.

BAKU (Sputnik) – Azerbaijan favors a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia, Azerbaijani Presidential Aide for Security Issues Lt.-Gen. Vakhid Aliev said Monday.

“We are in favor of a peaceful solution and not for a peaceful continuation of the conflict,” Trend news agency cited Aliev as saying.

Aliev said Azerbaijani Armed Forces were forced to fire against enemy positions in order to stop future attempts and to protect the population.

“This could not remain unanswered and has not remained unanswered,” Aliev added.

On April 2, Azerbaijan and Armenia reported intensified fighting in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement which had been in place since 1994.

The conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988, when the Armenian-dominated autonomous region sought to secede from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, before proclaiming independence after the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. In September 2015, the conflict escalated, with the sides blaming each other for breaching the truce.