ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN ACCUSE EACH OTHER OF CEASE-FIRE REGIME VIOLATIONS

Source: NEWSru.com, March 6, 2006
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
March 9, 2006 Thursday

Armenia and Azerbaijan accuse each other of cease-fire regime
violations. Seiran Shakhsuvarjan, Armenian Deputy Defense Minister’s
Press Secretary, claims that the Azerbaijani army bombarded the
settlement of Megrab in the Taush district on March 14, and Armenian
positions in the Idjevan district in northeastern Armenia on March 5.

Trenches of the Armenian army in the Vai district in southwestern
Armenia came under fire that night too.

Shakhsuvarjan said that the Armenian side had not sustained any
casualties or returned fire on this occasion. ITAR-TASS news agency
reported him as saying, however, that Private Arsen Zakevosjan, 19,
sustained a fatal wound in bombardment of the Idjevan district on
March 3.

Official Baku denounced all accusations. Official spokesman for the
Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Ilgar Verdiyev correspondents that
“the Azerbaijani forces did not open fire on March 4 and 5.” “On the
contrary, it was our positions in the Kazakh district of Azerbaijan
that came under fire on four occasions in the course of the last
twenty-four hours,” Verdiyev said. Trenches of the Azerbaijani army in
the settlement of Gushchu Airym (Kazakh district) came under machine
gun fire from the Armenian territory on March 5. Positions in the
settlement of Kyzyl Dajily were fired upon from the village of Berkaber
(Idjevan district of Armenia) the following night. Positions of the
Azerbaijani army in the villages of Jafarely and Ashyg Askipara
came under fire that same night. No casualties were sustained,
Verdiyev said.