YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. In their last statement the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have recorded that Azerbaijan violated the provisions of the Geneva Convention, Armenian foreign ministry spokesman Tigran Balayan told Armenpress.

“The Co-Chairs have fixed that Azerbaijan carried out a provocation violating the provisions of the Geneva Convention”, he said.

During the session of the OSCE Permanent Council on July 6 the representative of France delivered a new statement on behalf of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in connection with the recent ceasefire violations in the Nagorno Karabakh line of contact calling on to refrain from any hostile action that could lead to unacceptable civilian casualties. The Co-Chairs considered the July 4 incident as a provocative action that undermines peace efforts and could provoke a breakdown in the forthcoming negotiations.“We remind the Sides of their obligations under the Geneva Conventions to refrain from any hostile action that could lead to unacceptable civilian casualties. We appeal the parties to take immediate measures to defuse the situation and strictly observe the 1994/1995 ceasefire agreement.The Russian Federation, France and the United States stress the necessity to resume as soon as possible negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict, as the only way to bring peace, prosperity and genuine reconciliation to all the peoples of the region”, the statement said.

The Azerbaijani armed forces continued violating the ceasefire regime in different sections of Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line on July 4. Particularly, in the period of 11:30-11:35 the Azerbaijani troops fired 82 mm mortars (4 projectiles) in the eastern direction of the contact line and anti-tank missiles (3 projectiles) in the same section at about 12:45-12:55. In the southern direction the Azerbaijanis fired 60 mm mortars (3 projectiles) at 13:35, while at the period of 20:20-20:30 the Azerbaijani armed forces fired 5 projectiles from TR-107 multiple rocket launcher from a military position located in Alkhanlu village in the direction of a command post of a regiment located in the southern direction, and at 20:48 3 projectiles were fired in the same direction from 82 mm mortars. The front line units of the Defense Army had no alternative but take retaliatory measures to suppress the enemy's aggressive activity at 20:31-20:40, as a result of which the military position of Azerbaijan in Alkhanlu village was damaged. According to credible information from the relevant services of the Defense Army, the enemy has suffered losses. The Defense Army suffered no casualties as a result of the provocative actions initiated by Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani side announced two civilians were killed and one was wounded.