Russian Church in Azerbaijan's Ganja heavily damaged from Armenian missile attack - Head of Russian Orthodox Church in Ganja city

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, Oct. 15

Trend:

The missile attack of the Armenian armed forces on the civilian population of Azerbaijan is a terrorist act and war crime, Varfolomey (Denis) Sotnikov, Head of Russian Orthodox Church in Ganja city said Trend reports.

Sotnikov expressed his condemnation for the attack on the second-largest Azerbaijani city by Armenia, as a result of which children, women, and old people were killed.

He said that the Armenian side deliberately takes such steps to provoke Azerbaijan.

'Our President Ilham Aliyev is a very wise politician. He leads people to victory and calls them on the right path. In our prayers today, we wished peace in the world, the liberation of our occupied lands, and honored the memory of the deceased civilians,' the rector said. 'Karabakh is our land. Although I am Russian by nationality, I was born and raised in Ganja. It's my homeland. The church, where the ceremony was held today, was also heavily damaged as a result of the missile attacks on Ganja by Armenians. It doesn't have to be that way. As a tolerant country, Azerbaijan has been patiently waiting for the peaceful liberation of our lands for 30 years. We pray for peace in our country, in our lands. I call on the whole world not to interfere with our just cause. The occupation must end.'

As earlier reported, the Russian Orthodox Church in Ganja held a memorial service for civilians who were killed as a result of the recent terrorist attack of the Armenian Armed Forces.

On October 11, 2020, at about 2:00 (GMT+4) Armenian armed forces fired missiles at multi-apartment residential buildings in the central part of Ganja, the second largest city of Azerbaijan, located outside the frontline zone.

According to the latest data, 10 civilians, including 4 women, were killed and over 30 civilians wounded.

The missile attack also damaged the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Armenian Armed Forces, flagrantly violating norms and principles of international law, the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and Additional Protocols to it, as well as the requirements of the humanitarian ceasefire declared on October 10, continue to deliberately target the civilian population of Azerbaijan, and intensively bombard densely populated settlements.

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on Sept. 27.

Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. As a result of retaliation, Azerbaijani troops liberated a number of territories previously occupied by Armenia, as well as take important, strategic heights under control.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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