Azerbaijan lifts state of war

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU (AA) - The Azerbaijani parliament on Friday lifted the state of war, which was in force in certain cities and regions of the country.

The parliament approved the decision of President Ilham Aliyev, lifting the state of war imposed since Sept. 27 when the Azerbaijani army started an operation to liberate its territories from the Armenian occupation.

During the state of war, constitutional rights and freedoms and property rights of both Azerbaijani citizens and foreigners in the country were partially and temporarily suspended, and a curfew was imposed in some regions for specific hours.

- Karabakh conflict

Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from the Armenian occupation.

The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10 to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

The truce is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have been withdrawing in line with the agreement.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk in Ankara