Azerbaijani, Russian FMs hold phone talks on Armenian-Azerbaijani armed escalation

13 July 2020 17:15 (UTC+04:00)

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Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held phone talks, Trend reports on July 13 referring to Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mammadyarov informed his Russian colleague about the suppression of an attempt to attack the Armenian Armed Forces on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the direction of Azerbaijan’s Tovuz region, as well as ongoing tension in the region.

He pointed out that this provocation of Armenia serves to increasing tension in the region, involving third countries in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, as well as stressed the unacceptability of the attempted use of force by Armenia, and that such provocations will continue to receive worthy responses.

Lavrov noted the unacceptability of increasing tension in the region and the importance of taking the situation under control.

Starting from noon on July 12, units of the armed forces of Armenia, grossly violating the ceasefire in the direction of Tovuz region along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, opened artillery fire at Azerbaijani positions. Azerbaijan's armed response forced the Armenian army to retreat, suffering losses.

Servicemen of the Azerbaijan Army, sergeant Vugar Sadigov and corporal Elshad Mammadov died holding off an Armenian attack. Despite the efforts of Azerbaijani doctors, a badly wounded serviceman of the Azerbaijan Army, soldier Khayyam Dashdamirov has also died.

On the night of July 12-13, tensions continued on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border in the Tovuz region’s direction.

In the night battles involving artillery, mortars and tanks, Azerbaijani military divisions destroyed the stronghold, artillery installations, equipment and manpower of an Armenian military unit.

During the battles, the senior lieutenant of the Azerbaijani army, Rashid Mahmudov was killed.

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 regions.

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 regions.