KARABAKH DENIES LOSSES IN RECENT CLASH WITH AZERI TROOPS
Regnum
Nov 17 2008
Russia
17 November: "The defence army of the NKR [Azerbaijan’s breakaway
region] has not sustained any losses, even in wounded, during a
clash with an Azerbaijani sabotage group," the press secretary of
Nagornyy Karabakh’s defence army, Senor Asratyan, has told a Regnum
correspondent. He was commenting on Azerbaijani Defence Ministry
spokesman Eldar Sabiroglu’s statement on the death of two soldiers
from Karabakh in the exchange of fire on 16 November.
Asratyan also denied the statement of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry
spokesman who had said that Azerbaijani military were trying to drag
the body of the dead [Azerbaijani] soldier from the territory of
Karabakh to Azerbaijan. Asratyan said that there was the established
procedure of returning dead soldiers and that if the Azerbaijani side
wants, it may appeal to relevant international agencies. Asratyan
stressed that the body of the dead Azerbaijani soldier had already
been shown on Armenian and Azerbaijani TV. "We are currently clarifying
if there are wounded on the part of Azerbaijan. However, it is a fact
that Azerbaijanis retreated, leaving their one dead," he said.
[Passage omitted: Sabiroglu said the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops
clashed near the breakaway region of Nagornyy Karabakh early on 16
November, leaving one Azeri and two Armenian servicemen dead.]