BAKU: Azerbaijan has reported that the Armenian military-initiated gunfire towards its military positions in the Kalbajar district in the west. According to a statement from the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, the incident occurred near the settlement of Yellija at 5:50 a.m. local time (0150 GMT).
The statement clarified that Azerbaijani units refrained from retaliating to prevent further escalation and maintain stability along the border.
Azerbaijan urged the Armenian military leadership to avoid such provocations, which could disrupt the stability maintained over the past five months, and called for identifying and holding accountable those responsible for the attack.
Tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan, along with seven adjacent regions, including Kalbajar.
Azerbaijan regained control over most of the region during the conflict in fall 2020, following a Russian-brokered peace agreement that facilitated normalization efforts.
Last September, Baku launched an anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh to establish constitutional order, leading to the surrender of illegal separatist forces in the region.
