KARABAKH CONFIRMS DEFECTION OF PRIVATE TO AZERI SIDE
Mediamax news agency
6 Aug 07
Yerevan, 6 August: The defence ministry of the Nagornyy Karabakh
republic (NKR) today confirmed that a serviceman of Nagornyy Karabakh’s
defence army, Hambartsum Asaturyan, went over to the Azerbaijani side
on 4 August.
In an interview with Mediamax today, the head of the ministry’s press
service, Col Senor Hasratyan, said that 23-year old Asaturyan "left
his military unit on his own in unclear circumstances, crossed NKR’s
state border and went over to the opposite side".
[Passage omitted: Asaturyan has been serving in Nagornyy Karabakh’s
armed forces since May]
[In a report at 1616 gmt on 4 Aug 07, Azerbaijan’s Day.az website
identified Asaturyan as an Armenian serviceman]