Azerbaijan sees spurt in ceasefire violations by Armenia, soldier wounded
By Sara Rajabova
Showing disrespect for international norms and rules, Armenian troops continue to keep tensions on the contact line of troops between Armenia and Azerbaijan high with increasing ceasefire breaches.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported that a soldier of Azerbaijani Army has wounded as a result of the recent ceasefire violation by Armenian armed forces.
Soldier Elnur Majidov was shot on the front line in the direction of the Fizuli region of Azerbaijan while he was on combat duty on April 23, the ministry said.
The wounded soldier was hospitalized immediately, his health state is considered as satisfactory.
In-mid April, the Armenian armed forces wounded two more Azerbaijani soldiers on the frontline.
The ministry further said that Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire regime on the contact line between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in different directions over 30 times during a day.
Subunits of the Armenian Armed Forces shattered ceasefire with Azerbaijan in Garakhanbeyli, Ashagi Seyidahmedli and Ashagi Abdulrahmanli villages of Fuzuli region, Marzili, Yusifcanli, Shirvanli, Garagashli and Shikhlar villages of Agdam region, nameless hills of Gadabay region, Tap Garagoyunlu and Gulustan villages of Goranboy region, and Chilaburt village of Terter region, Kuropatkino village of Khojavend region on April 23 and on the night of April 24.
The Armenians were silenced with a retail fire, the ministry said.
The Armenian armed forces have intensified the ceasefire breaches on the contact line of troops between Armenia and Azerbaijan since the beginning of 2014. As a result of ceasefire breaches, several Azerbaijani soldiers were shot dead on the frontline.
Earlier, the ministry reported that ceasefire violations which have begun since January are mostly observed in Fizuli, Agdam, Terter, Goranboy, Khojavend, and Jabrayil districts. In all cases, the enemy's shooting was answered by retaliatory fire.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994, but Armenia has continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.
Peace talks mediated by Russia, France, and the US have produced no results so far.