Armenian forces fire at Azerbaijani positions along state border
By Vafa Ismayilova
The Armenian armed forces have fired at Azerbaijan's army positions along the entire length of the state border, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported on July 17.
From 2040 to 2230 on July 16, and at about 0100 on July 17, the Armenian armed forces units fired at the Azerbaijani army positions in Kalbajar region's Istisu village and Tovuz region's Aghdam village from their positions in Basarkechar region's Yukhari Shorzha village and Berd region's Mosesgekh village, the ministry said.
At 0830 on July 17, the Armenian armed forces units located near Arazdeyen village of Armenia's Vedi region, using various weapons, fired at the Azerbaijani army’s positions in the direction of Sadarak region of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the report added.
The Azerbaijani troops silenced the Armenian armed forces with retaliatory fire. The Azerbaijani army suffered no casualties.
On July 16, the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry stated that Armenia is fully responsible for the ongoing escalation.
"We declare once again that Armenia bears all responsibility for aggravating the situation along the entire length of the state border between the two countries," the ministry said.
It should be noted that using various calibre arms, the Armenian armed forces units fired at Azerbaijani positions in Sadarak region at about 1000 and 1300 on July 16.
An Azerbaijani serviceman was injured on July 14 morning as Armenian forces using various calibre weapons fired at the Azerbaijani positions in Sadarak region.
On July 15 and on July 13, the Azerbaijani positions near Shusha city were fired at by the illegal Armenian armed detachments on the Azerbaijani territory, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed.
On July 15, Azerbaijan's army positions came under Armenian fire near Kalbajar region on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border.
On July 14, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry strongly condemned Armenia's recent attempts to disrupt fragile peace in the region.
"We strongly condemn the attempts of the Armenian side to destroy the fragile peace in the region by shelling the Azerbaijani positions in recent days," the ministry said.
It should be noted that the presence of any Armenian serviceman on Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territories is in violation of the November 10 peace deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan that ended the 44-day war in 2020.
The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it had occupied since the early 1990s.
On June 26, President Ilham Aliyev said that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is over and Armenia must determine its borders with Azerbaijan.
He added that there is only one way for Armenia to develop – to establish normal relations with its neighbours, give up its territorial claims, and not to use the word Nagorno-Karabakh at all.
Azerbaijan and Armenia have failed to come to an agreement on the delimitation and demarcation of their state border following the collapse of the Soviet Union. The tension over border delineation gained fresh momentum following the end of the Second Karabakh War in 2020.
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