Defence Ministry addresses misinformation spread in Armenian media

By Azernews

By Aisha Jabbarova

As Armenian forces are withdrawing from Azerbaijan’s occupied territories in military operations on the frontline, Yerevan is circulating misinformation and fake news to the cover up its losses.

The Armenian Defence Ministry spread another misinformation claiming that a military plane belonging to Azerbaijan has been shot down.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry described the report on alleged shooting of Azerbaijani plan as “another attempt of Armenia’s military propaganda”.

The Defence Ministry also denied Armenian reports that there is ongoing fighting over Khudaferin Bridge, which Azerbaijan had earlier liberated.

“It’s impossible for the Armenian armed forces to conduct any operation in Khudafarin. At present, the Khudafarin Bridge is under the full control of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces,” Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant Colonel Anar Eyvazov has said.

He noted that by these messages the Armenian side is trying to find solace. “Armenia must forever forget Khudafarin,” Eyvazov said.

The 11th century Khudaferi Bridge connects Azerbaijan and Iran and the news of its liberation from Armenian occupation was announced by President Ilham Aliyev on October 18. On the same day, a video and photo was circulated showing Azerbaijani soldiers raising Azerbaijani flag on Khudaferin Bridge.

It should be noted that the Armenian Defence Ministry had earlier claimed that Azerbaijan shot down an Armenian jet by allegedly using Turkish F-16. Later, it was revealed that Armenia’s Sukhoi Su-25 jet had crushed against the mountain.

Commenting on misinformation around Armenian Su-25, Presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said  "this shows the Armenian military leadership is not providing accurate information to its citizens and the public.”

Armenia launched large-scale attacks on Azerbaijani positions and civilians on the line of contact on September 27. Armenia’s attack provoked large-scale Azerbaijani counteroffensive to liberate occupied territories.

The Azerbaijani Army has liberated dozens of villages, strategic heights, as well as Fuzuli, Zangilan city and Hadrut town in the military operations so far.

Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France has been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts have resulted in no progress and to this date, Armenia has failed to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) that demand the withdrawal of Armenian military forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.