Azerbaijan: Armenia transfers its troops to Karabakh

Baku claims a violation of the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh signed on November 10, 2020. Armenia is transferring its soldiers to the territory where the Russian peacekeepers are deployed, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan reports.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that residents of the villages of Mkhitarashen and Shosh (the Azerbaijani names are Mkhitarikend and Shushikend, respectively, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”) of the Askeran District have repeatedly complained about shelling attacks by Azerbaijani soldiers. On August 9, the Azerbaijani armed forces used their positions in the city of Shushi (the Azerbaijani name is Shusha, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”) to shell the Armenian positions near the villages of Mkhitarashen and Shosh, the Nagorno-Karabakh MoD reported.

According to the declaration of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, all military operations in the Karabakh conflict zone shall be stopped starting from November 10, 2020, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent shall be deployed in the conflict zone.

Remaining units of the Armenian armed forces were not completely withdrawn from the territories where the Russian peacekeeping forces are temporarily deployed, as provided by the ceasefire agreement signed on November 10, 2020, the press service for the Azerbaijani MoD claims.

Armenia purposefully resorts to provocations to aggravate the situation in the conflict zone, the Azerbaijani MoD suggests. “All that is happening against the background of the irresponsible order issued by Arshak Karapetyan, new Minister of Defence of Armenia, to apply all means to use force against the Azerbaijani army,” the press service for the Azerbaijani MoD declares in its statement.