Armenia, Azerbaijan accuse each other of shelling
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 8 May 2016 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Armenia, Azerbaijan accuse each other of shelling, 8 May 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/576900c715.html [accessed 24 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Last updated (GMT/UTC): 08.05.2016 08:17
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been accusing each other of violating their cessation of fire agreement by shelling each other's military positions in their border area.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said May 8 that Armenian forces violated the cease-fire more than 120 times over the past 24 hours, targeting Azerbaijani positions with grenade launchers, machine guns, and mortar fire.
The ministry said Armenian troops shelled Azerbaijani positions from settlements along the state border between the two countries and in areas adjacent to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Meanwhile, Armenia's Defense Ministry accused Azerbaijani forces of breaching the cease-fire agreement.
"In the early hours of May 8, the Azerbaijani side continued opening random fire using various sniper weapons and firearms in the direction of positions of the Armenian army in the northeastern part of Armenia's state border," the ministry said in a statement.
Similar statements were issued by both sides on April 7.
The mutual charges come as a cessation of fire agreement reached by the two sides on April 5 has largely held.
In early April, Nagorno-Karabakh saw its worst violence since a shaky cease-fire was reached in 1994 that effectively froze the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenian-backed separatists in the breakaway region.
Based on reporting by Interfax, and TASS
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
