Azerbaijani defense chief updates Turkish counterpart on latest situation on border with Armenia
By Vugar Khalilov
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov has briefed his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar on the current situation on the state border with Armenia, Azernews reports, citing the ministry.
In a phone conversation, Hasanov detailed the current operational situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, emphasizing that all provocations of the Armenian military forces were decisively quashed.
Akar, for his part, stressed that the Turkish armed forces constantly give moral support to the Azerbaijan Army.
A comprehensive exchange of views on the situation on the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border took place between the ministers.
Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also described the recent Armenian provocations as “unacceptable”, voicing support for Azerbaijan, Azernews reports, citing the Turkish media.
"May Allah rest the souls of our Azerbaijani brothers who became martyrs during the recent clashes on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border. I express my condolences to the Azerbaijani people and wish recovery to the wounded. The whole world should know that Turkiye, as always, is with its Azerbaijani brothers," Erdogan stressed.
To recap, units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions during the night of September 13. At night, Armenian sabotage groups mined land and supply roads linking the positions of the Azerbaijani army units in different directions, taking advantage of the area's steep topography and existing ravine gaps.
The clashes between the sides ensued as a result of the urgent efforts made by the Azerbaijani armed forces to quell these activities. As a result, 50 armed forces personnel, including 42 Azerbaijan Army servicemen and 8 State Border Service personnel were killed, the ministry detailed.
The Azerbaijan military units stationed in these areas took decisive retaliatory measures to suppress the provocations of the Armenian armed forces and military threats to Azerbaijan's territory and sovereignty, as well as to ensure the safety of military personnel, including civilian workers involved in infrastructure construction in Kalbajar and Lachin districts, the ministry emphasized.
As of September 14, the Armenian government reported 105 losses among military personnel.
---
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz