Azerbaijan pulls out its troops from Parukh village in Nagorno-Karabakh
YEREVAN, March 28, /ARKA/. Azerbaijani troops that had entered the village of Parukh in Nagorno-Karabakh on March 24, had by Sunday withdrawn, the Russian Defense Ministry said in an information bulletin late on March 27.
The Armenian-populated village is in the zone of Russian peacekeepers’ responsibility under the terms of the November 2020 ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan brokered by Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that two violations of the ceasefire regime by Azerbaijani troops were recorded in the Askeran region.
'As a result of the skirmish, two people from each side were injured. The command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, in cooperation with representatives of the parties to the conflict, has stabilized the situation. Based on the results of the negotiations, the Azerbaijani side carried out the withdrawal of its units from the area of the Parukh settlement,” the Russian ministry said.
It was the first time Russia accused Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire agreement by entering the Russian peacekeeping mission's zone in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Russian Defense Ministry said also that Azerbaijani troops used the Bayraktar TB-2 drone to inflict four strikes on Nagorno-Karabakh armed forces. An appeal was sent to the Azerbaijani side to withdraw troops," the bulletin of the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Also, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed extreme concern about the growing tension in Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that the Russian peacekeeping contingent was taking the necessary measures to de-escalate the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and urged the parties to show restraint and ensure strict compliance with the existing tripartite agreements.
In the early hours of March 25, Azerbaijani military units opened fire on the positions of the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh, using also a strike UAV. On March 26, the enemy made a new attempt to advance towards the eastern borders of Artsakh. The Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry said at least five Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the skirmish. The Armenian side had three dead and 15 wounded.
On the morning of March 27, the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry reported that the situation on the line of contact was relatively calm and that negotiations were underway to withdraw Azerbaijani troops to their original positions.
In response to the Russian Defense Ministry's statement about the withdralw of its troops the defense ministry in Azerbaijan said it "regretted the one-sided statement of Russia's defense ministry, which does not reflect the truth", adding that "Azerbaijan didn't violate a single provision" of the ceasefire agreement.
The Azerbaijani ministry requested that Russia’s defense ministry fully withdraw the remaining Armenian troops and 'illegal armed units from the internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan." -0-
