Idiris Okuduci
21 October 2020•Update: 21 October 2020
YEVLAKH, Azerbaijan
Turkey's top news provider Anadolu Agency on Wednesday captured images of military vehicles seized by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces from the Armenian army.
Russian-made personnel and load carriers belonging to the Armenian army were brought to Azerbaijan's military base in Yevlakh province, located some 265 kilometers (around 165 miles) west of the capital Baku.
The military vehicles were seized in village of Talish near Sugovushan, which had previously been occupied by Armenia, according to an Azerbaijani officer who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity.
Noting that the Armenian soldiers left behind many military vehicles and ammunition during Azerbaijan's recapture of the area, the officer explained that the vehicles brought to the base were only a part of the total seized materials.
Documents, uniforms, combat boots, helmets and personal belongings were found in the vehicles captured during the operation.
President Ilham Aliyev announced on Oct. 3 that Azerbaijani soldiers hoisted the country's flag over Sugovushan -- occupied by Armenia since 1994 -- following its liberation from the occupying forces.
Since fresh clashes erupted on Sept. 27, Armenia has continued its attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces, even violating humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.
Four UN Security Council resolutions and two from the UN General Assembly, as well as international organizations, demand the “immediate complete and unconditional withdrawal of the occupying forces” from occupied Azerbaijani territory.
In total, about 20% of Azerbaijan's territory – including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions – has been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (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.
World powers, including Russia, France, and the US, have called for a new cease-fire. Turkey, meanwhile, has supported Baku's right to self-defense and demanded the withdrawal of Armenia's occupying forces.
