Hikmat Hajiyev: Armenian armed forces continue to attack Azerbaijani cities with missiles and artillery under the pretext of humanitarian truce

“The Armenian armed forces continue to attack Azerbaijani cities with missiles and artillery under the pretext of a humanitarian truce. The missile attacks against Azerbaijan are carried out from the territory of Armenia,” said Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan, Head of Foreign Policy Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev.

“Armenia is trying to expand the geography of the conflict and involve third parties in it. Azerbaijan has no military targets in Armenia,” Hajiyev said.

“October 11, a SCUD ballistic missile was also fired from the territory of Armenia into the densely populated area of Ganja, the second-largest city in Azerbaijan. This is the first case in the OSCE area that a SCUD missile which has great destructive power has been used against civilians outside the war zone. In general, this is one of the rare cases observed in recent military conflicts around the world,” the Presidential Assistant mentioned.

Hajiyev noted that Armenia’s operational-tactical ballistic missile systems were brought to readiness this morning and targeted Azerbaijan’s Ganja, Mingachevir, and other cities again. “In order to ensure protection of civilians, the operational-tactical missile systems brought into a state of readiness to deliver fire strikes were neutralized as a legitimate military target. The Armenian defense ministry itself had to admit that these rockets had been brought to combat readiness,” he said.

The Presidential Assistant noted that the city of Tartar and villages of Aghdam came under fire beginning from about 07:00 a.m. today. “One person was killed. 8 civilians were injured as a result of projectile shelling at the yard of the secondary school of Duyarli village. More than 100 projectiles were shelled. There are members of media representatives of Azerbaijan State Television and Radio Broadcasting CJSC (AZTV) among the injured,” Hikmat Hajiyev said.

“Azerbaijan is complying with the humanitarian truce. However, in the event of missile and other strikes to Azerbaijan’s military and civilian facilities, as well as peaceful civilians from Armenia’s territory, Azerbaijan reserves its right to neutralize them as legitimate military targets,” the President’s Assistant added.