Pakistan strongly condemns Armenian attack in Azerbaijan

Says it's a manifestation of Armenia's attempt to hamper ongoing negotiation process

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan strongly condemned on Tuesday the July 12 attack on Tovuz district in Azerbaijan by Armenian forces that resulted in several casualties.

In a statement issued by the Foreign Office, Pakistan extended its sincerest condolences to those affected by the tragedy.

"The unresolved conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh poses a serious threat to regional peace and security with far-reaching consequences," the statement read.

It said the incident was a manifestation of the Armenian attempt to distract the international community and hamper the ongoing negotiation process for peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as enshrined in the relevant United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

Pakistan reaffirmed its principled position on the conflict and reiterated its support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Earlier, on July 12, arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations of launching a military offensive using artillery fire along their shared border, with Baku reporting two troops killed.

Azerbaijan's defence ministry said Armenia's "offensive" from its northern Tavush region was met with a "counterstrike" and retreated.

"Two Azerbaijani servicemen were killed and five more wounded," it added.

Yerevan, on its part, accused Baku of "using artillery in an attack aimed at capturing (Armenian) positions."

"They were repulsed, suffering losses in manpower. There were no casualties among Armenian servicemen," Armenia's defence ministry spokeswoman, Shushan Stepanyan, said in a Facebook post.