Azernews.Az

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has expressed its regret for the biased information released by Russian Defense Ministry over the shootout in Karabakh by Armenian separatists on 5 March, who tried to smuggle in weapons, ammunitions from Armenia.

"We regretfully note that on March 6, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation distorted the facts and spread untruthful information in its bulletin regarding the armed incident that took place yesterday on the Khankendi-Khalfali-Turssu dirt road".

"We inform that on March 5, on the basis of operative information, the Azerbaijan Army Units attempted to stop and inspect the vehicle of the Armenian military formations transporting illegal military supplies. While approaching the vehicle, Azerbaijani servicemen were subjected to fire from weapons by the members of the Armenian armed detachment inside the vehicle, as a result of which two servicemen became Shehids (Martyrs) and one was wounded. Three members of the illegal Armenian detachment were killed and one was wounded by the return fire. It is hypocritical to present these servicemen, fully equipped with weapons and ammunition, as police officers performing a "passport and visa" service.
The spread information about providing first aid by representatives of the Russian peacekeeping forces and the evacuation of Azerbaijani servicemen who were injured as a result of the incident is also not true. The evacuation of Azerbaijan Army's Shehids (Martyrs) and wounded servicemen from the territory was carried out by its servicemen.
Contrary to the provisions of the Trilateral Statement, Armenia continues to supply weapons, ammunition, and other military means to illegal Armenian armed formations in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan, and military personnel rotation is also carried out. In order to immediately prevent such unacceptable situations, the Russian peacekeeping forces must completely fulfill the assigned duties.
It should be noted that the policy of mine terror carried out by Armenia against Azerbaijan is still ongoing. Despite the repeated warnings, mines illegally transported to Azerbaijan and buried in its territory lead to casualties among civilians and servicemen of the country. Thus, on March 4, a serviceman of the Azerbaijan Army became Shehid as a result of a mine explosion in the Karabakh economic region. The facts of mass transportation of 2021-Armenia-produced mines through the Lachin road and their burial in the territory of Azerbaijan were established, and a visit of representatives of the Turkish-Russian Joint Monitoring Center and military attaches to this territory was organized to investigate the facts.
In August 2022, the Azerbaijan Army conducted the "Revenge" operation in response to such actions of Armenia and illegal Armenian armed formations and the death of our serviceman who became Shehid.
We warn once again that the transportation of military cargo by Armenia to the territory of Azerbaijan, the dispatch and rotation of the Armenian armed forces’ military personnel must be stopped immediately and permanently, and that the Armenian troops must be completely withdrawn from the territory of our country. Otherwise, the Azerbaijani side will have to take decisive and necessary measures by using all possibilities in order to disarm and neutralize illegal gunmen.
Such actions of Armenia are considered as a continuation of military aggression.
The events occurred and the continuation of illegal military transportation by Armenia to the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan once again confirm the need to ensure the control regime on the Lachin road located in the territory of Azerbaijan," the ministry added.

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