Azerbaijan: Armenia launches rockets at Iran

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU (AA) - The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry announced late Friday that Armenian forces launched rocket attacks on Iranian territory as a provocation.

“This act of the sneaky enemy makes us angry and we are sharing the concern of the brotherly Iranian people,” it said.

The ministry said Iran condemned Armenia's aggressive policy and supported Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

“Today, we feel the solidarity of the brotherly Iranian people and appreciate the officially declared support of the Iranian government,” it said.

- Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Recent clashes erupted between the two countries Sept. 27, and since then, Armenia has continued to attack civilians and Azerbaijani forces.

Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General's Office said Friday that at least 47 civilians have been killed and 222 injured because of new Armenian attacks.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

The OSCE Minsk Group – co-chaired by France, Russia, and the US – was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed to in 1994. Multiple UN resolutions, as well as international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces.

World powers, including Russia, France, and the US, have urged a new cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia's occupying forces.

About 20% of Azerbaijan's territory has remained under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar