Azerbaijani forces prevented a sabotage attempt by illegal Armenian armed elements in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of the country, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry announced Saturday.
The ministry said that illegal Armenian forces in the region, which was liberated in the fall of 2020 from decades of Armenian occupation, took advantage of hazy weather to provoke the Azerbaijani army. It added that the Armenian forces had to retreat when "immediate measures" were taken, not specifying what form of provocation took place.
The command of Russian elements on temporary duty in the region and the Turkish-Russian Joint Center were both told about the incident, it added.
There were no casualties among the Azerbaijani soldiers and the situation was brought under control, the ministry said.
Russia's Defense Ministry said on Saturday that Azerbaijani armed forces had entered a zone policed by Russian peacekeepers in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, claiming a violation of an agreement, but Azerbaijan challenged these claims.
Russia said it had called on Azerbaijan to pull out its troops and was "applying efforts" to move forces to their initial positions. It also said Azerbaijan had carried out four-drone strikes in Nagorno-Karabakh.
However, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry refuted Moscow's version of events and described Russia's statement as "one-sided."
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-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.
In January 2021, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It also included the establishment of a trilateral working group in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Most recently, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan discussed developments, including a peace deal, with their Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov last week.
According to a statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov touched upon the possibility of a peace agreement between the longtime archrivals, as he underlined that Russia was ready to provide support in this regard.
They also exchanged views on the 3+3 regional cooperation format, the ministry statement said.
Ankara has made frequent calls for a six-nation platform comprising of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus.
Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.
Despite the cease-fire agreement, Armenian forces periodically fire on positions of the Azerbaijani army, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.
Moscow deployed almost 2,000 peacekeepers to the region after the cease-fire, reaffirming its role as a police official and chief power broker in a volatile part of the former Soviet Union where Turkey also has strong influence due to its close alliance with Azerbaijan.