According to Baku authorities, the consultations will be held behind closed doors and coincide with Armenia’s Independence Day, which dates back to 1991 when most of the population voted in a referendum in favor of secession from the Soviet Union, Azertac news agency reported.

Azerbaijan announced that it began an “anti-terrorist operation” in Nagorno-Karabakh on Tuesday, September 19, to “achieve the withdrawal of Armenian troops” from the territory, which has been seeking independence since 1988.

Yerevan, in turn, denied the presence of its troops in the region and branded the operation as an aggression against the inhabitants of the region.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense denounced attacks by Armenian troops on its army’s positions, the exploitation of mineral resources belonging to Baku, the construction of trenches and shelters in Karabakh, reconnaissance raids, and acts of subversion.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the enclave since 1988, when the Armenian-majority territory decided to secede from the then-Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

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