On September 27, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan Eldar Sabiroghlu, commenting on U.S. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s statement that the withdrawal of snipers from the line of contact would strengthen the ceasefire between the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said that it will not facilitate the settlement of the conflict.

The Ministry of Defense of Armenia states the Armenian side has repeatedly proposed the withdrawal of snipers from the line of contact, as it considers it would ease tension and reduce losses from both sides. The OSCE Minsk Group has repeatedly made similar proposals as well.

The RA Ministry of Defense issued a statement, saying:

“Strangely enough, regularly accusing the Armenian side of violating the ceasefire and committing acts of sabotage, the Azerbaijani side will not positively respond to the initiative to withdraw snipers from the line of contact.

“As regards the misinformation by Mr. Sabiroghlu that the Armenian side allegedly violates the ceasefire, we emphasize that the Armenian side remains committed to the ceasefire regime, which cannot be said of the Azerbaijani side. A glaring example is the failed attempts of incursions into the Armenian territory made by Azerbaijani commandos, which claimed human lives. The soldier of the NKR Defense Army Andranik Sargsyan was killed by an Azeri sniper on September 17, 2010.

“The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, EU representatives issued relevant statements, pointing out that further use of force will only complicate the situation, causing further suffering and destructions.

“Mr. Sabiroghlu’s claim about the Armenian side’s firing at Azerbaijani civilians does not correspond to the facts either.

“We consider it necessary to stress once again that the Armenian armed forces remain firmly committed to the ceasefire and only take retaliatory actions against the enemy.”