Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 24
By Ilkin Izzet - Trend:
Azerbaijan's military planes are flying over the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, press service of Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told Trend on Friday.
The flights are being conducted due to an escalated situation on the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
The situation on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops has been escalating for the past four days. Armenian armed forces have violated the ceasefire status 380 times, Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported earlier.
Azerbaijani services destroyed an Armenian military vehicle by thwarting an Armenian armed forces provocation on the frontline in the Tovuz region, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence told Trend on Friday.
An Armenian sabotage and intelligence group attempted to cross the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in the direction of the Tartar region between the settlements of Qapali and Seysulan today, Friday at 6:00, according to Azerbaijani Defense Ministry's message.
The Armenians' attempt was suppressed due to the vigilance of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. After a fierce firefight, the Armenian units were forced to retreat.
The orders and commands overheard during the Armenians' retreat were not only in the Armenian language, according to observations of servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on the frontline.
The Defence Ministry reported that the Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire status in different directions 93 times per day.
The representative office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Azerbaijan has today expressed regret at the frequent violations of the ceasefire on the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
"The representative office is closely monitoring the tense situation in the region, and keeps in contact with local authorities and intends to visit these areas after stabilization of the situation," head of the ICRC representative office, Denise Duran told journalists on Friday in Baku.
Earlier, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick expressed his concern on his Twitter page about the tensions on the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
"Violence and tensions along the Line of Contact undermine efforts to bring about a negotiated settlement," Warlick noted on his Twitter page.
It should be noted that French capital of Paris is hosting a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Elmar Mammadyarov and Edward Nalbandian, who are discussing ways to resolve the conflict.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Translated by E.A.
Edited by C.N.