Headline changed, details added (first version posted at 17:16)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 27
Trend:
Bodies of Azerbaijani soldiers were relocated from the battlefield with the participation of international mediators, the press service of Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry reported.
Azerbaijani servicemen Agshin Abdullayev, Shakhlar Nazarov, Tural Hashimli, Zulfi Gadimov and Zakir Jafarov were killed while preventing provocations of Armenian Armed Forces along the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops Feb. 24-25.
The relocation of the bodies of the Azerbaijani servicemen killed in these battles was scheduled for 12:00 (GMT + 4 hours) Feb. 26 under the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Defense Ministry said.
However, when the relocation was about to begin, the Armenian side deliberately started to put forward unacceptable conditions in order to disrupt the procedure, the ministry noted.
At the same time, Armenia attempted to commit provocations in other directions of the frontline, opening fire from different caliber weapons, gun mounts, and tried to commit acts of sabotage, the message said.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry has earlier said the Armenian army attempted to infiltrate through the Azerbaijani positions along the line of contact on the night from Feb. 24 to Feb. 25. The Armenian side attempted to seize favorable positions on the Khojavand-Fuzuli part of the frontline, said the ministry, adding heavy battles took place between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
“Azerbaijani military units courageously prevented the attacks and the Armenian side was forced to retreat,” according to the Defense Ministry.
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.