BAKU, December 29. /TASS/. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry has circulated a statement on an exchange of gunfire on the border with Armenia.

"In the morning on December 29, a reconnaissance group of the Armenian armed forces was ambushed while attempting to violate the Azerbaijani-Armenian border," the statement said, adding that the Armenian side had sustained losses in the shootout. The ministry noted that an Azerbaijani soldier had gone missing, and search is underway.

Meanwhile, the Armenian Defense Ministry has placed on Azerbaijan the responsibility for the shootout, which reportedly occurred on the border between the two countries. The ministry said that both sides had sustained losses during the exchange of gunfire.