Baku, Azerbaijan, March 26
Trend:
The information spread by the Armenian side that allegedly, Armenian civilians suffered as a result of the shelling by Azerbaijani armed forces, is false, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry told Trend March 26.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry denies these allegations of Armenians who suffer losses in manpower and military equipment.
Azerbaijani armed forces hold only the positions, trenches, military facilities, vehicles and communications of the enemy at gunpoint, according to the ministry.
"Each time, following the visit of representatives of Armenia's military and political regime to the front line, the tension on the contact line increases, which is aimed at artificially exacerbating the situation," said the Defense Ministry.
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, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Edited by SI