Military positions on Armenian border come under fire: Azerbaijan

ANKARA

Azerbaijan said on Tuesday that its military positions on the border with Armenia came under fire by Armenian troops on Monday night.

Armenian armed forces using small arms periodically fired the Azerbaijan's positions in the direction of Zeylik settlement of the Kalbajar region, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Azerbaijani forces retaliated against the fire, said the ministry, adding no human or material losses were suffered.

“Currently, the situation in this direction is stable. The Azerbaijan Army Units control the operational situation,” it said.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces, and violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and around 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.

In January 2021, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It also included the establishment of a trilateral working group on Karabakh.

Despite the cease-fire agreement, Armenian forces periodically fire on positions of the Azerbaijani army, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.