Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov.13
Trend:
The Office of International Military Cooperation of the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan on November 13 held an event with the participation of the military attaches of embassies of 13 countries accredited in Azerbaijan, said a statement posted Nov.13 on the website of the Ministry of Defense.
The statement noted that during the event the chief of the Office of International Military Cooperation, Major General Huseyn Mahmudov and head of the press service of the Defense Ministry, Colonel Vagif Dergahly informed the participants about the destruction of the enemy helicopter in the air space above the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
It was noted during the meeting that the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry repeatedly declared that in accordance with international law and decisions of the International Civil Aviation Organization, all uncoordinated flights in the Nagorno-Karabakh will be considered as a violation of air borders of Azerbaijan, and in case of repetition of such incidents the Azerbaijani air forces, which have the most modern weapons, will destroy such targets without a delay.
However, despite these warnings, the Armenian Armed Forces helicopter made shelling of the positions of Azerbaijani Armed Forces in the area of the contact line, according to the statement.
On Nov. 12, at 13:45 (UTC/GMT +4 hours) an Armenian Mi-24 helicopter flying 1700 meters northeast of the Kengerli village of Azerbaijan's Aghdam district attacked the Azerbaijani army positions. The Azerbaijani side shot down the helicopter.
Soldier İlkin Muradov was awarded for heroism and bravery by the Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov with a medal "For Distinguished Military Service" of the 3rd grade and with a valuable gift.
It was also noted that the Mi-24 combat helicopter, which was downed while shelling the Azerbaijani troops' positions in Azerbaijan's Aghdam district, belonged to the Armenian air forces.
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.