Azernews.Az

BAKU – Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry has confirmed that an Azerbaijani serviceman has fallen into Armenian captivity.

Teymur Abdullayev, the ministry’s deputy spokesman, said Monday the circumstances of junior sergeant Roman Huseynov’s capture are being scrutinized.

"Most likely, he was taken captive by the Armenian armed forces after losing his way," Abdullayev said.

Armenian media have circulated reports quoting the country’s Defense Ministry as saying that the 25-year-old Azerbaijani serviceman had allegedly crossed over to the Armenian side of the line of contact last Friday and surrendered. "He surrendered to the Armenian side as he had been bullied by other servicemen," the Armenian ministry claimed.

Huseynov’s family members told the Baku-based ANS TV channel that the serviceman’s surrender was out of the question. The soldier’s father said that his son did not face any differences with either the commanders or his fellow soldiers. Huseynov’s relatives said that he could only have become lost on his way to the military unit and accidentally ended up on the Armenian side.

The family members last communicated with Huseynov over the phone on August 22. On the same day, they were informed from the military unit that the serviceman had gone missing.

Besides Huseynov, two other Azerbaijani citizens are being held captive and hostage in Armenia.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia's territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory since the early 1990s. Sporadic clashes on the frontline continue.