BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 14
Trend:
The Kremlin expresses concern about the shootings on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, calling on the parties to restraint and ceasefire, Spokesman for the Russian president Dmitry Peskov said, Trend reports referring to RIA Novosti.
"We express concern about the shootings on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” Peskov said while answering a question about the Kremlin’s assessment of the situation on the border of these countries. “We urge both parties to restraint and to comply with their obligations within the ceasefire regime."
"Being a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, as we have already announced at various levels, is ready to exert its mediation efforts to resolve the conflict,” the spokesman said. “You know that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held phone talks to his colleagues from Yerevan and Baku. Therefore, once again we urge both sides to restraint."
Starting from noon on July 12, units of the armed forces of Armenia, grossly violating the ceasefire in the direction of Azerbaijan’s Tovuz district along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, opened artillery fire at Azerbaijani positions.
Azerbaijan's armed response forced the Armenian army to retreat suffering losses.
Azerbaijan's sergeant of military service Vugar Sadigov and corporal Elshad Mammadov, died while repelling the attack of the Armenian armed forces. Another serviceman, Khayyam Dashdemirov died from severe wounds despite the doctors' efforts.
The tensions in Tovuz district on the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border continued July 12 night. During the night battles, by using artillery, mortars and tanks, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed a stronghold, bombshells, vehicles and servicemen on the territory of the Armenia’s military unit. Senior lieutenant of Azerbaijani army Rashad Mahmudov was killed during the battles.
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, 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 the withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.