Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 13
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend:
NATO is concerned by reports about an Armenian helicopter being shot down by
Azerbaijani forces, NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the South Caucasus James Appathurai wrote at his Facebook page.
"Whatever the circumstances of the incident, both sides should remain calm and pursue a diplomatic resolution," he wrote.
On Nov. 12, at 13:45 (UTC/GMT +4 hours) a Mi-24 helicopter flying 1700 meters northeast of the Kengerli village of Aghdam district attacked the positions of the Azerbaijani army. One helicopter was shot down by the Azerbaijani side. The debris of the downed helicopter fell on an area, located 500 meters away from the frontline.
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 four UN Security Council resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.