Nagorno-Karabakh’s defense chief blames Azerbaijan for tensions

Nagorno-Karabakh’s defense chief blames Azerbaijan for tensions

The Associated Press
03/21/05 15:39 EST

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – The military chief of the disputed enclave
of Nagorno-Karabakh on Monday accused Azerbaijan of fomenting tension
along a volatile buffer zone.

Seiran Oganian said that Azerbaijani forces had tried repeatedly to
advance their positions, but were rebuffed. “Neither us nor Azerbaijani
people need these provocations,” Oganian said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have blamed each other for the skirmishes that
have intensified recently along the buffer zone.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been under the control of ethnic Armenians since
the early 1990s, following fighting that killed an estimated 30,000
people. A cease-fire was signed in 1994, but the enclave’s final
political status has not been determined, and shooting breaks out
frequently between the two sides, which face off across a demilitarized
buffer zone.

The Armenian forces also hold some territory adjacent to
Nagorno-Karabakh.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress