BAKU, July 13. /TASS/. Azerbaijani armed forces on Monday morning renewed the shelling of Armenian positions on the state border in the direction of the Tavush province of Armenia, reported Shushan Stepanyan, Armenia’s Defense Ministry’s press service spokesperson.
"After two-three hours of pause [on Monday] morning the opponent resumed the provocative actions, continuing to shell in the direction of the Armenian positions. The Armenian armed forces gave an adequate response. It is not ruled out that the number of the losses of opponent will increase," she wrote on her Facebook page.
Earlier, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry reported on Monday on the tensions at the border with Armenia continuing over the night of July 13 and an Azerbaijani serviceman falling in action.
"On the night of July 13, the tension remained on the Tovuz direction of the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. During the night clashes using artillery, mortars, and tanks the Azerbaijani army units destroyed the base point, artillery mounts, automotive equipment on the premises of the military base as well as personnel," the Defense Ministry stated on its website. According to the Defense Ministry, First Lieutenant of the Azerbaijani Army Rashad Makhmudov was killed in action.
"Currently the operational situation is under control of the Azerbaijani troops," the statement said.
On Sunday, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry reported the Armenian armed forces’ attempts to attack the Azerbaijani army positions on the Tovuz direction of the border using artillery and the ensued clash. According to the Ministry’s statement, the opponent sustained losses and retreated. According to the ministry’s information two Azerbaijani’s servicemen were killed in action, five were wounded. Later, one more soldier died because of the wounds sustained.
The conflict between neighboring Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, (a disputed territory that had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up but was primarily populated by Armenians) broke out in February of 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijani Soviet Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them. Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been ongoing since 1992 in the format of the so-called OSCE Minsk Group, led by its three co-chairs - Russia, France and the United States.