Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Armenian armed forces continue to escalate tension on the frontline, killing the officer of the Azerbaijani armed forces.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said the officer of the Azerbaijani armed forces, Lieutenant Sabuhi Azizov was killed by an Armenian sniper while carrying out combat mission on January 27.

Based on an order made by Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov, Lieutenant Azizov was awarded with 3rd class Medal "For Distinguished Military Service" for personal courage in the battle-field.

The Defense Minister extended his deepest condolences to the parents and relatives of martyr.

The martyr's fellow soldiers took an oath to highly honor the memory of Lieutenant Azizov and avenge his blood.

Defense Ministry reported on January 27 that the ceasefire has been violated on the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in different positions 204 times a day.

The Armenian armed forces fired at positions of the Azerbaijani armed forces in the village of Agdam in the Azerbaijani Tovuz region from positions in the village of Agdam in the Armenian Berd region.

Azerbaijani positions were also fired at from the nameless heights and positions located near Goradiz, Garakhanbayli, Gorgan, Ashagi Seidahmadli, Ashagi Veyselli, Ashagi Abdurrahmanli in the Fizuli region, Marzili, Yusifjanli, Namirli and Bash Gervend in the Agdam region, Goyarh, Chilayburt in the Tartar region, Tapgaragoyunlu village in the Goranboy region, Kuropatkino village in the Khojavand region.

Earlier, the Armenian army shot dead an Azerbaijani officer, Captain Elnur Jafarov, amid growing tension along the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijan troops on January 23.

Also, a resident of the village near to the frontline was wounded, as a result of the Armenian armed forces' shelling of the villages located near the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in the Tovuz region.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

The UN Security Council's four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal have not been enforced to this day.

Peace talks, mediated by Russia, France and the US and the OSCE Minsk Group are underway on the basis of a peaceful outline -called Madrid Principle -proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs. The negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.