By Azernews

By Vafa Ismayilova

Two Azerbaijani servicemen have been wounded as a result of large-scale Armenian provocations in Kalbajar and Lachin regions on the state border, the Defence Ministry reported on November 16.

"Armenian armed forces have committed large-scale provocations against Azerbaijan in the Kalbajar and Lachin regions of the state border. On November 16, at about 1100, Armenian military formations launched a sudden military operation in order to capture the high grounds in this direction of the state border and take more advantageous positions, thereby gaining military superiority," the ministry said. 

It added that Armenian military units, assembling additional forces, special military equipment at the border combat positions in Basarkechar and Garakilsa regions, attacked the Azerbaijani army's combat posts in Kalbajar and Lachin regions.

"The opposing side using weapons of various caliber and grenade launchers intensively firing on the positions of the Azerbaijan army, damaged the combat posts. As a result, according to preliminary information, two servicemen of the Azerbaijan army were wounded. The servicemen were provided with urgent medical assistance. There is no danger to their life," the report added. 

The Defence Ministry underlined that the Army Corps and the Azerbaijan army forces stationed in the direction of Kalbajar and Lachin regions immediately carried out an emergency operation to suppress combat activity of the Armenian armed forces.

"First, the movement of the opposing side was limited, as well as its forces and means were damaged. As a result of the decisive measures taken by the Azerbaijani servicemen, the Armenian servicemen were disarmed and detained, a large number of weapons of various calibers, and a large amount of ammunition were seized as trophies," the ministry added.

It noted that from an operational-tactical point of view, the attack carried out by the Armenian military units seeking to gain a short-term superiority through large-scale provocations, as well as another attempt of official Yerevan to commit provocation completely failed.

The Azerbaijani army positions came under Armenian fire in a number of settlements from 1615 on November 15 to 0430 (local time) on November 16, the Defence Ministry reported earlier on November 16.

Earlier, Baku condemned Yerevan for the recent escalation of tension on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border.

In an official statement posted on the Foreign Ministry website on November 15,  Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said: "All responsibility for the current tension lies directly with the military and political leadership of Armenia."

The escalation of tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia has been observed since November 13, 2021, when several Azerbaijani servicemen were wounded in the attack committed by members of illegal Armenian armed formations near Shusha city on the Azerbaijani territory currently under Russian peacekeepers' temporary control.

The Azerbaijani army positions in liberated Kalbajar and Lachin regions have been under Armenian fire since the evening of November 13.

It should be noted that on November 15, Armenian President Armen Sargsyan dismissed Arshak Karapetyan from the post of defence minister and appointed Suren Papikyan as new minister by the suggestion of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

This is the fourth defence minister in Armenia since Pashinyan came to force in Armenia. Three of them were appointed after Armenia signed an act of surrender on November 10, 2020, following the 44-day war with Azerbaijan. 

Earlier, the Azerbaijani foreign and defence ministries slammed former Armenian Defence Minister Arshak Karapetyan's illegal visit to Azerbaijan's Karabakh region as a provocative act aimed at aggravating the situation and causing military confrontation.

It should be noted that Baku repeatedly made all the necessary proposals to Yerevan with regard to normalizing the post-war regional situation. Namely - to sign a peace treaty, to recognize each other's territorial integrity and to begin the delimitation and demarcation of borders. 

About 2,000 Russian peacekeepers have been deployed for five years in Karabakh under the trilateral cease-fire deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on 10 November 2020. The signed agreement brought an end to six weeks of fighting between Armenia.

The peace agreement stipulated the return of Azerbaijan's Armenian-occupied Kalbajar, Aghdam and Lachin regions and urged Armenia to withdraw its troops from the Azerbaijani lands that it has occupied since the early 1990s.

Armenia still fails to withdraw all its troops from Azerbaijan under the ceasefire deal. Before the signing of the deal, the Azerbaijani army had liberated around 300 villages, settlements, city centers, and historic Shusha city.