2 yıl önce

Over 70 Azerbaijani soldiers killed in border 'provocations' by Armenia

A ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan holds, according to Armenian officials, following two days of fighting that left dozens of soldiers killed from both sides.

Reuters Archive

Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of "large-scale provocations" in recent days, saying saboteurs planted mines and Armenian forces carried out “intensive” firing on Azerbaijani positions.

Seventy-one Azerbaijani soldiers have been killed in recent days in "provocations" by Armenia, Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry said.

The ministry said on Thursday that so far, 71 Azerbaijani soldiers have died during the recent flare-up, while Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Wednesday that 105 Armenian soldiers were killed in the clashes.

Following the recent flare-up in the region, Türkiye reiterated its support to Azerbaijan.

On Wednesday, Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Ankara sees the latest border tension as the result of Armenia's violation of the November 2020 deal ending the Karabakh war that resulted in the victory of Azerbaijan, adding that he finds it "unacceptable."

Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of "large-scale provocations" in recent days, saying saboteurs planted mines and Armenian forces carried out “intensive” firing on Azerbaijani positions.

Ceasefire 'holding'

A ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan held following two days of fighting that killed 176 soldiers from both sides.

Armen Grigoryan, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, said the truce brokered thanks to international mediation took effect at 8 pm (1600 GMT) Wednesday.

Armenia's Defence Ministry said Thursday that the situation on the border with Azerbaijan has been quiet since the ceasefire started and no violations were reported.

There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijan’s government.

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

In fall 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were under Armenian occupation. The fighting ended with a deal brokered by Russia.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies