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MFA: Armenian colonel admits planting landmines in Kalbajar, Lachin

08 June 2021 [11:18] - TODAY.AZ

By Azernews


By Vafa Ismayilova

An Armenian colonel admitted planting landmines in Azerbaijan's Kalbajar and Lachin regions liberated from Armenia's occupation in a 44-day war in 2020, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva has said.  

She made the remarks in a post on her official Twitter account on June 7.

"Armenian Colonel Gumashyan admitted about planting landmines in Kalbajar and Lachin regions. My units and I have planted 17 trucks of mines near Lachin and Kalbajar, you will not be able to do anything in the area due to mines,” she tweeted.

It should be noted that the Armenian media earlier reported that Armenian Colonel Koryun Gumashyan admitted the availability of maps of mined Azerbaijani territories.

"My contingent and I have supplied mines to Lachin and Kalbajar districts via 17 trucks. Return our prisoners of war to us and I will provide you with the map," he said.

On June 4, state TV channel correspondent Siraj Abishov, AZERTAC (Azertag) news agency correspondent Maharram Ibrahimov and local official Arif Aliyev were killed and four were injured in an Armenian-planted mine in Kalbajar region.

Over 120 Azerbaijani citizens have been killed or wounded in mine blasts since the end of the last year’s war.  Armenia has been deliberately refusing to provide maps of mines it planted in Azerbaijan’s formerly occupied territories.

The number of victims in mine blasts continues to grow although 35,000 mines have been defused in the area of 100 million square meters in the liberated territories 200 days after the signing of the November 10 statement signed by Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia.

The hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia resumed after that latter started firing at Azerbaijani civilians and military positions starting September 27, 2020. The war ended on November 10 with the signing of a trilateral peace deal by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders.

The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani Army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centres and historic Shusha city. The signed agreement obliged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.

URL: http://www.today.az/news/politics/206801.html

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