Azerbaijani soldier killed on border with Armenia

SANAA, Jan. 12 (YPA) – Azerbaijan Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov said on Tuesday  hat one soldier has been killed by shelling launched by the Armenian forces on the border between the two countries.

“A soldier was killed after provocation by the Armenian armed forces at the border,” Hasanov was quoted by Sputnik as saying in a statement. He said the incident took place in Kalbajar District,  Karabakh.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry strongly condemned “the continual provocations by the Armenian side.

“Instead of taking steps to normalize relations between the two countries, Armenia carried out a new bloody provocation on the border between the two countries, causing a new wave of tension in the region and taking responsibility for it,” the ministry said in a statement said.

On the other Hand,  The Armenian Ministry of Defence  said  “the escalation began as Azerbaijani forces opened fire on Armenia’s positions, including using drones and artillery systems, noting attack resulted in the injury of three Armenian soldiers.”

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence responded to this statement by saying that its forces were “taking equal action in the direction of Kalbajar” in response to the “provocation of the Armenian armed forces” without using  drones or artillery weapons.

Azerbaijan and Armenia frequently announce bloody armed clashes despite signing a ceasefire agreement on November 9, 2020 that put an end to a six-week war for control of the disputed  Karabakh region since the late 1980s.

E.M