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2016

Armenia never opposed to interposition of peacekeeping forces between conflicting sides in Karabakh

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YEREVAN, April 8. /ARKA/. Serzh Sargsyan, Armenian president, said an interview with Germany's Deutsche Welle that Armenian had never objected to interposition of peacekeeping forces between the conflicting sides in Karabakh conflict zone. 

“We have never expressed our opposition to that, but we think this conflict needs a complete and final solution,” he said. “Quite the opposite – we voiced readiness to sign an appropriate document implying a comprehensive settlement of the conflict, including also presence of peacekeepers between the two sides. But Azerbaijanis were opposed to that.”

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 February when the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region announced its secession from Azerbaijan. In September 1991, the region declared itself the 

Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and, over the course of the enduring conflict, Azerbaijan subsequently lost control of the region.

In 1994, a Russia-brokered cease-fire was signed and peace talks have been held since, mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group. 

On April 2, 2016 Azerbaijan resorted to an "unprecedented provocation along the entire perimeter of the contact line" with Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the NKR Defense Army, during the three-day fighting they have destroyed  2 helicopters, 29 tanks, one missile system Grad, heavy flame-throwing systems TOS-1, 6  armored vehicles, including 1 infantry fighting vehicle, 1 unit of engineering machinery and 6 Azerbaijani drones killing also over 300 Azeri soldiers. 

The Armenian side lost 7 tanks, 20 servicemen were killed, and 72 wounded. Four civilians, including one child, were killed as well. Armenians also have 26 missing people. A ceasefire agreement was reached Tuesday at 12:00. --0---