Fighting resumed on Azerbaijan-Armenia border

Armenian armed forces have again opened fire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district on the border with Armenia, as the fighting is currently taking place, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

This morning, the Armenian armed forces again attempted to attack Azerbaijan’s positions in the Tovuz district direction of the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border.

At the same time, the villages of Aghdam, Dondar Gushchu and Vahidli of the Tovuz district underwent fire from large-caliber weapons and mortars, head of the press office of Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry, Colonel Vagif Dargahli said, adding that no civilian casualties were reported as of yet.

In the meantime, Azerbaijani MP Arzu Nagiyev, who is in Tovuz now, said that Armenian forces opened fire at villages in Tovuz at around 4 am.

"Armenians continue shelling the villages of Agdam, Dondar-Gushchu, Alibeyli and Gadzhali. About 20 artillery shells hit the village of Dondar Gushchu. Two of the shells hit the yards of civilians. One of the shells destroyed an auxiliary building in the courtyard of one of the villagers. There is no panic among the civilian population, although the situation remains tense. Armenians have mainly bombarded the village of Agdam. There are no casualties among civilians. Units of the Azerbaijani army are in control of the situation," the MP said.

Starting from noon on July 12, the Armenian armed forces violated the ceasefire in Azerbaijan's Tovuz region on the border with Armenia by artillery fire and tried to capture Azerbaijan's positions. 

Member of the Bundestag's Committee on Foreign Affairs Nicolas Löbel has expressed concern over the recent escalation of the tension on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

"The latest border clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan concern me deeply. After a longer period of relaxation, the use of military force demanded military and civilian casualties over the course of the last couple of days. The difficult situation in both states, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, doesn’t help in this scenario. The protests in Azerbaijan, that mourns high-ranking military losses, are a direct example of the current domestic tensions in the region. Russia, supporting Armenia in military and diplomatic affairs, as well as Turkey that declared it’s unconditional support of Azerbaijan, are called upon to use their influence to ease the conflict and seek a peaceful solution. . But Germany must not stay silent either. German Foreign Minister Hayko Maas is not in a position, especially considering the current German presidency of the UN Security Council, to leave this conflict uncommented. This “frozen conflict”, going on for far too long, is in need of a peaceful solution. Armenia is still in violation of international law by its de facto annexation of Nagorno-Karabakh. With international mediation, we need to find a way out of this conflict," he tweeted on Wednesday.