Senior UN official says Baku's counter-terror measures in Garabagh aim to prevent provocations

Miroslav Jenča, Assistant to the UN Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and Americas in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs, said Azerbaijan had announced local counter-terrorism activities in the Karabakh economic region in response to the tragic deaths of two civilians and four police officers in incidents that allegedly involved landmines placed by the Armenian military.

He noted that Azerbaijan had notified the Russian peacekeeping force in the region, of its activities in a bid to prevent large-scale provocations by Armenian troops and ensure their withdrawal and the restoration of the constitutional order within internationally recognized Azerbaijani territory.

Jenča recalled also the announcement of a cessation of hostilities on September 20, cautioning that the situation on the ground remains fluid. He assessed the meeting between the government of Azerbaijan and the representatives of Garabagh Armenians on September 21 as a positive step.

He called for a “credible and durable” end to the fighting.

“Any renewed escalation would lead to further loss of life and human suffering and further set back internationally supported peace efforts,” Jenča said.

According to him, the protection of civilians including their basic human rights “must be the overriding priority" and the only sustainable way forward was through genuine dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenian representatives of the Garabagh region, “together with full engagement in the normalization process”.