Azernews.Az

Azerbaijani lawmakers have demanded that the defense minister report to parliament over the recent deadly skirmish between servicemen at a military base that claimed six lives.
During the armed skirmish that occurred at a Defense Ministry military unit in the western Dashkasan district last Thursday, two soldiers opened fire with submachine guns, killing four soldiers and wounding two others, before shooting each other dead. It was not immediately clear what provoked the incident.
Chairman of the opposition Umid (Hope) Party, MP Igbal Agazada told a parliamentary sitting Monday that the heads of power-wielding agencies, including Defense Minister Safar Abiyev, should be invited to the Milli Majlis when the legislature hears a Cabinet of Ministers report in March.
Agazada also claimed that deaths and cases of using weapons have lately increased in the country’s military, which signals outstanding problems in this area.
The lawmaker maintained further that "the defense ministers in civilized countries resign following such developments, but the Azerbaijani defense minister did not dare to do so."
Gudrat Hasanguliyev, chairman of the opposition-leaning United Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, noted that parliament has the credentials to invite the defense minister for a report.
Ikram Israfil, an MP from the opposition Musavat party, suggested setting up a parliamentary group consisting of lawmakers who sit on the Milli Majlis committee on security and defense issues and delegating them to the military unit in question to study the situation firsthand.
Parliament Speaker Ogtay Asadov reminded that an investigation has been launched to establish the causes of the deadly skirmish, adding that the public would be informed about its outcomes in due time.*