Hadjiyev: Azerbaijani forces broke the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh in several places

Azerbaijani forces broke through the line of contact with Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh in several places, Hikmet Hadzhiyev, foreign policy adviser to the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, told Reuters.

Hadjiyev said this after Azerbaijan launched a military operation in Karabakh, a mountainous region recognized internationally as Azerbaijani, part of which is ruled by breakaway ethnic Armenians who say it is their ancestral homeland.

Armenia today denied having any forces in the area. However, many Armenians have volunteered to fight for Nagorno-Karabakh in the past.

Hadjiyev said that Baku will be ready to talk to the Karabakh Armenians only when they raise the white flag and disarm.

He announced that Azerbaijan has no military goals in neighboring Armenia.

"Azerbaijan's intention is to close the chapter of animosity and confrontation," he said.

"Enough is enough. We can no longer tolerate having such armed forces on our territory, as well as a structure that calls into question the security and sovereignty of Azerbaijan every day," said Hadjiyev.

He concluded that Baku believed that what he called an anti-terrorist operation would achieve its strategic goal of securing full sovereignty over its territory.