Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.11

By Ilkhama Isabalayeva - Trend:

Armenian armed forces have once again violated ceasefire with Azerbaijan 16 times in several directions over the last 24 hours, Azerbaijan's defense ministry said on Oct. 11.

Azerbaijani positions in the village of Aghdam in the Tovuz district took fire from the positions in the village of Chinari of Armenia's Berd district, the ministry said.

Azerbaijani positions were also fired from the positions near the villages of Yusifjanli in the Aghdam district, Kuropatkino in the Khojavand district and the nameless heights of the Fizuli district.

The violation 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 four U.N. Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.