Details added (first version posted on 09:50)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Apr.8
Trend:
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry has dismissed the information spread by Armenian Defense Ministry that allegedly Armenian armed forces have captured Azerbaijani army's vehicle full of military equipment.
Only Armenian Defense Ministry representatives could carry out an operation involving special forces to destroy a non-combat vehicle which poses no threat, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry told Trend Apr.8.
Armenia's military leadership, defeated on the battlefield, tries to calm down its people by making up various laughable "events", said the Defense Ministry.
"It is not a secret that during the military operations, various types of equipment were shot down or destroyed from both sides," said the ministry. "Presumably, after the active military clashes, Armenian Defense Ministry has decided to credit itself with another 'imaginary victory'."
Such information spread by Armenia's Defense Ministry about 'carrying out a special operation on Azerbaijan's territory' is a proof of their irresponsibility, it shows that they ignore the agreements and violate the ceasefire, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry added.
On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population.
Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.
Military operations were stopped on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on Apr. 5 at 12:00 (UTC/GMT + 4 hours) with the consent of the sides, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry earlier said. Ignoring the agreement, the Armenian side again started violating the ceasefire.
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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.