UPDATE - Azerbaijan says Armenia fired at its military positions in western region

ADDS INFORMATION ON THE SECOND STATEMENT REGARDING ARMENIA FIRING AT MILITARY POSITIONS IN KALBAJAR

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Azerbaijan said on Saturday that Armenia had fired at its military positions in the country’s western Kalbajar region.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement that Armenian forces on Friday fired at its positions around the village of Mollabayramli from 12.25 to 15.35 local time (0825GMT to 1135GMT).

“Adequate response measures were taken by units of the Azerbaijan Army,” the statement added.

Later, in a separate statement, the ministry said Armenian forces fired again in the direction of Mollabayramli on Saturday at 1 p.m. local time (0900GMT).

Relations between Baku and Yerevan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions, including Kalbajar.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement that opened the door to normalization and the demarcation of their border.

Last September, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty in Karabakh when separatist forces in the region surrendered.​​​​​​​