Azerbaijan's aggression "violates arrangement on cessation of hostilities"

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan, by escalating the situation on the border, is violating an earlier arrangement on the cessation of hostilities, after a July 15 statement by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on the establishment of relative calm on the border, Armenian Foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan said Thursday, July 16.

In the wee hours of July 16, around 100 Azerbaijani troops launched an infiltration attempt, but were thwarted back to their posts after suffering major losses. Several hours later, they began to shell Armenian villages, damaging as many as 10 houses overnight.

"As a result of its short-sighted policy, the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan has reached an impasse and is now resorting to perilous, ill-conceived steps for which it will bear responsibility also before its own people," Naghdalyan said.

"The Foreign Minister is in constant contact with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship. In the present situation the efforts aimed at unconditional, complete restoration, preservation and strengthening of the ceasefire are imperative."

On July 12, Azerbaijan launched two failed infiltration attempts on the border with Armenia whose troops immediately identified the saboteurs and thwarted them back to their positions. Since the next morning, the Azerbaijani military has been firing on the Armenian positions, also using large caliber grenade launchers and combat drones to target civilian homes in several border settlements. Four servicemen of the Armenian army have been killed, 20 others have been wounded, while Azerbaijan has reported 11 deaths.