Azerbaijan’s army destroys Armenian military equipment

ANKARA/BAKU, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan’s army troops destroyed a large amount of military equipment belonging to the Armenian military amid the ongoing border clashes between the two countries.

"During the present day, the troops of the Azerbaijani Army, successfully advancing in the intended directions, took possession of new strongholds and carried out a cleanup of the territory from the enemy," said the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on early Saturday.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry also published a video of its military suppressing Armenia's "combat activity in various directions of the front."

Separately, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held a phone conversation with his French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday discussing the clashes at Armenia-Azerbaijan frontlines.

In a statement by Azerbaijan’s presidential office, Macron called President Aliyev to express his concerns over the clashes and urged a cease-fire and re-launch of negotiations.

The Azerbaijani president during the phone call stressed that Armenia is responsible for disrupting negotiation process and for triggering clashes.

Border clashes broke out last week when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been volatile since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

World powers, including the US, Russia, France and Germany, have urged an immediate halt to clashes along the frontier.

Turkey, meanwhile, has voiced support for Azerbaijan's right to self-defense.

Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as many international organizations, demand the withdrawal of occupying forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia, and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed to in 1994.

*Writing by Merve Aydogan in Ankara.