Armenian forces attack Azerbaijani positions in Aghdam

Armenian soldiers opened fire on Azerbaijani positions on the border between the two countries, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said Monday.

The ministry noted that Armenian soldiers attacked the Azerbaijani military’s positions in the village of Aghdam in the Tovuz rayon at 11 p.m. on April 3.

The Azerbaijani military retaliated in kind as a precautionary measure and reported no damage, the ministry added.

Last week, Armenian forces illegally 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 military.

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.