Defense Ministry refutes Armenia's reports on sabotage operation

By Rashid Shirinov

Azerbaijan`s Defense Ministry has refuted Armenia’s reports about the Azerbaijani army`s sabotage operation and losses.

“Information of the Armenian side alleging that the military units of Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces attempted to commit a provocation on the frontline and suffered losses on the night of October 20 is untrue,” the Ministry said, assessing it as an attempt to trigger another escalation of the situation on the line of contact of the troops.

“We declare that our military units did not carry out any provocative activity and did not suffer any losses. Currently, the operational situation on the frontline is under the full control of our military units.”

The Ministry further added that retaliatory action to prevent any possible provocations of the enemy will be stronger and tougher.

Armenian armed forces almost every day violate the ceasefire with Azerbaijan from various positions on the contact line of the troops. The Armenian armed units shattered ceasefire with Azerbaijan a total of 28 times throughout the day, the Ministry reported on October 21.

Armenia broke out a lengthy war against Azerbaijan laying territorial claims on its South Caucasus neighbor. Since a war in the early 1990s, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts.