Religious confessions and communities in Azerbaijan sharply condemned the killing of civilians by Armenian militaries, said Mubariz Gurbanli.

Axar.az reports citing Azernews.

The Chairman to the State Committee on Religious Associations said that religious confessions condemned the murder of Sahiba Guliyeva and her two-year-old granddaughter Zahra Guliyeva, as well as the wounding of another civilian Sarvinaz Guliyeva as a result of the Armenian armed forces` shelling of Alkhanli village in Fuzuli district.

“The everyday shelling of civilians despite the ceasefire, murders and making population to live under the threat of death once again proves that it is time to sharply change attitude towards the Armenian aggressors and take resolute steps against them on the international arena,” he told Azertac.

Gurbanli added that representatives of all religious confessions in Azerbaijan urge international organizations, including the UN, the OSCE Minsk group and world leaders to punish the Armenian aggressors.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia still controls fifth part of Azerbaijan's territory and rejects implementing four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.

The Minsk Group, the activities of which have become known as the Minsk Process, spearheads the OSCE's efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. It is co-chaired by France, the Russian Federation, and the United States. Although the OSCE Minsk Group deals with the issue for over two decades, its activities have brought no breakthrough results so far.