Azerbaijani soldier killed in Armenia’s armed provocation

BAKU, Azerbaijan

An Azerbaijani soldier was killed by Armenian fire in the western Kalbajar province on the border with Armenia, according to military sources.

The soldier was killed by the Armenian army that fired on the Azerbaijani army’s positions, said a statement from the Defense Ministry.

Azerbaijani armed forces units stationed in the location are taking retaliatory actions, it noted.

Armenia aims to aggravate the situation on the border, the statement said, noting that Armenia bears full responsibility for the provocation.

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 last September and ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire.

During a subsequent 44-day conflict which ended under a deal signed on Nov. 10, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenia’s nearly three-decade occupation.