Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
May 17 2008

Azerbaijani National Army’s Officer Killed
17.05.08 13:00

Azerbaijan, Barda, 17 May /Trend News corr Sh. Jaliloglu/ As a result
of violation of ceasefire at the Armenian-Azerbaijani troops contact
line by the Armenian Armed Forces, senior lieutenant of the
Azerbaijani National Army was killed. On 16 May at 7.30pm, Armenian
troops located in the Azerbaijani occupied village Yusifjanli in Agdam
region fired at the opposite positions of the Azerbaijani
troops. Senior lieutenant Vugar Najafov was shot and died from the
wound.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began in
1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan
lost the Nagorno-Karabakh, except of Shusha and Khojali, in December
1991. In 1992-93, Armenian Armed Forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and
Nagorno-Karabakh’s seven surrounding regions. In 1994, Azerbaijan and
Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time the active
hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group ( Russia,
France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful, but fruitless
negotiations.

In 1992, about 10 OSCE countries established Minsk Group for peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Since 1997, Minks Group
includes co-chairmen from three countries – USA, Russia and France.

The Defence Ministry has not yet confirmed the reports.