Armenian ceasefire breaches keep tension high on frontline
By Sara Rajabova
The situation on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian armed forces remains tense, as the Armenian troops continue violating the cease-fire regime.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that Armenian armed forces opened fire at Azerbaijani positions near the village of Mazamli of the Gazakh region from their positions in the village of Berkaber in the Ijevan region on June 11 and in the early morning of June 12.
The Azerbaijani positions were also subjected to fire of the Armenian forces from their positions near the villages of Horadiz in the Fuzuli region, as well as Merzili, Sarijali and Kengerli villages in the Aghdam region, Tapgaragoyunlu in the Goranboy region, Giziloba and Chileburt villages in Terter and from the positions on the heights in the Khojavend region.
The shooting was met with retaliation.
As a result of the cease-fire violations, mostly residents of the villages of Goranboy close to the contact line went into panic, local reports say.
Residents of Tapgaragoyunlu were quoted as saying that they were regularly shot with large caliber weapons and scorching bullets. According to the residents, the scorching bullets caused a fire in one of the farms in the village.
However, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu didn't confirm the reports while commenting on the issue.
The precarious cease-fire between Azerbaijan and Armenia was reached after a lengthy war that displaced over a million Azerbaijanis and has been in place between the two South Caucasus countries since 1994. Since the hostilities, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.