Baku, Azerbaijan, May 24
By Ilkin Izzet -Trend:
The ceasefire on the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops was violated 29 times in different directions yesterday, the Azerbaijani defense ministry said on May 24.
The armed forces of Armenia opened fire at the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the village of Kemerli in the Qazakh region from the positions in Barekamavan village of Armenia's Noemberyan region.
The Azerbaijani armed forces' positions underwent fire in the village of Aghdam in the Tovuz region from the positions in Mosesgeh village of Armenia's Berd region.
The armed forces of Armenia opened fire at the positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the nameless heights in Qazakh region from the positions in Paravakar village of Armenia's Ijevan region.
At the same time, Azerbaijani positions underwent fire from positions near the villages of Qarakhanbayli, Qorqan, Qoradiz of the Fizuli region, Yusifjanli, Shikhlar, Javakhirli and Sarijali of the Aghdam region, Chilyaburt, Qeyarkh of the Terter region, Mehdili of the Jabrail region and the nameless heights in the territory of the Khojavand region.
The Armenian side was silenced with return fire.
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 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.