AZERI ARMED FORCES BECOME MORE ACTIVE AT CONTACT LINE

Noyan Tapan

Au gust 1, 2008

STEPANAKERT, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The Azeri armed forces are again
displaying notable activity all along the contact line recently,
as a result of which cases of violation of the cease-fire have been
registered.

According to a press release of the press service of the NKR Ministry
of Defence, on the morning of July 29 and during that day, Azeri
military opened fire from small-calibre rifles and machine-guns at the
Karabakh positions in the south-eastern, north-western and northern
border sections.

The Azeris stopped fire after adequate actions of the Armenian
armed forces.

It is mentioned in the press release that the NKR Defence Army did
not suffer losses as a result of the cease-fire violation.

Reference of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The NKR conflict
began in 1991 when in response to the Nagorno Karabakh population
demand for self-determination, Azerbaijan’s authorities made an attempt
to solve the problem by starting ethnic cleansing and large-scale
military actions by Soviet security forces (KGB special detachments)
– under the mask of passport regime, which resulted in thousands of
victims and considerable material losses. Cease-fire was signed in
1994. Negotiations are now being conducted on the conflict settlement
with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Russia, the US
and France) based on the Madrid proposals presented by the co-chairs
in November 2007.