Baku, Azerbaijan, June 17
Trend:
Five soldiers of the Armenian armed forces were eliminated on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said June 17.
Armenia previously stated that three of its soldiers were killed on the contact line.
Today, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry has said two more Armenian soldiers died of serious injuries.
Moreover, a number of seriously wounded Armenian soldiers were taken to one of the local hospitals.
“The Armenian side, being afraid of a fair discontent of the public, is concealing its losses,” according to the Defense Ministry message.
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.