Azerbaijan denies Russian claims concerning village, cease-fire in Karabakh

ISTANBUL (AA) – Azerbaijan has denied claims by Russia that the Azerbaijani army had withdrawn its troops from a village in Karabakh and that it had violated a cease-fire agreement.

“There have been no changes in the positions of the Azerbaijan Army in the village of Farrukh and on the surrounding high grounds, which are part of the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan,“ the country’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The Azerbaijani armed forces regained full control over the village, clearing it of illegal Armenian armed groups, who had to leave Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories in Karabakh under a cease-fire deal signed by Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia on Nov. 10, 2020.

The ministry also denied the Russian Defense Ministry’s claim that Azerbaijan had violated the cease-fire in Karabakh and pointed out that “no cases of injuries among Azerbaijani servicemen have been recorded.”

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violating several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and around 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.