Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this the other day while speaking to news reporters. He also said that mutual support in issues of territorial integrity and sovereignty is an important aspect of cooperation between the two countries.
At the same time, the President stressed that the provision of military assistance by Ukraine to either side of the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict is out of the question. “As a State, we have a clear and I think well-balanced and correct position. We call for a dialog between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the de-escalation of the conflict”, said Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
In his words, the recent developments in Nagorny Karabakh have demonstrated once more that any frozen conflict can flare up again and even many years later. That is why conflicts must be resolved not frozen.
For his part, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba assures that Ukraine remains consistent in supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. “The support of the territorial integrity of a State is a cornerstone of Ukrainian foreign policy. We have always been consistent in supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan as well as Azerbaijan has supported our territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders. And we regard this principle as an absolutely unaltered one”, said Kuleba.
In the opinion of the Ukrainian minister, the most important thing to be ensured in the Caucasus is not to stir up the already hot emotions. “Today one has to work to reduce emotions and stop bloodshed”, Kuleba stressed.
Azerbaijan has welcomed these words spoken by the Ukrainian President and the Foreign Minister. On October 5, Ambassador of the Azerbaijan Republic to Ukraine Elmira Akhundova noted that her country was very pleased with the attitude of the official Kyiv towards the latest events in Nagorny Karabakh.
We’d like to remind our readers that in 1991 Nagorny Karabakh supported by Armenia declared independence from Azerbaijan. The declaration of independence resulted in combat activities that continued for three years. Finally, the armed conflict ended with the signing of the Bishkek protocol on truce and ceasefire. However, armed clashes occurred between the two sides from time to time. Over the years of the conflict, more than 30 thousand men were killed. Azerbaijan insists that Nagorny Karabakh has been occupied by Armenia.
On September 27 of this year, a new and most violent conflict in recent years flared up in Nagorny Karabakh. Accusing Armenia of “a large-scale provocation” and shelling positions of the Azerbaijan army, the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan has announced a swift counteroffensive. As Armenian authorities insist, the Azerbaijan military have been the first to start an attack on Nagorny Karabakh. The sides use tanks, heavy artillery and aviation. Hundreds of servicemen on both sides have been killed. There are victims among innocent civilians, too.
The newspaper Voice of Ukraine