Armenian forces open provocative fire on western Azerbaijan

ANKARA – The Armenian forces “once again” opened fire on the liberated lands of Azerbaijan in the West for provocative reasons on Saturday.

A statement by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported that Armenian troops used various caliber weapons, sniper rifles, and grenade launchers in the Kalbajar region.

“The Azerbaijan Army Units are taking adequate measures to suppress the provocation of the opposing side, and currently, shooting in this direction continues,” the ministry said, reporting no casualties among the Azerbaijani military personnel.

It added that the operational situation is under the control of the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

New clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violating humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

The fighting ended with a Russia-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.