Armenian Army Fire Shots At Azerbaijani Troops In Kalbajar

UNSPLASH/Hikmat ILLUSTRATION Gafarzada

JAKARTA - Azerbaijan said the Armenian army opened fire on Azerbaijani troops in the western district of Kalbajar.

A statement from the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on several military positions near the Yellija settlement at 5.50 a.m. local time (0150GMT).

The statement stated that Azerbaijan's military unit did not take action to "do not worsen the situation and to ensure stability at the conditional borders of the two countries."

"We call on the Armenian military leadership not to carry out provocations aimed at disrupting stability for five months and making the situation on the conditional border out of control and demanding (Armenia) to identify and punish the people responsible for carrying out this action," the statement concluded. Antara from Anadolu, Saturday, February 24.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been strained since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent territories, including Kalbajar.

Azerbaijan released large parts of the region during the war in the fall of 2020, which ended in a peace agreement brokered by Russia, opening up opportunities for normalization.

Baku began an anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh last September to enforce constitutional order. After that, the illegal separatist forces in the region surrendered.