Azerbaijani Defense Ministry: period of silence declared in Nagorno-Karabakh

The sides of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have agreed to a complete ceasefire to search for bodies of servicemen, the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Vagif Dargahli, said, adding that the sides will cease fire completely between 14:00 and 19:00 (MSK), RIA Novosti reports.

Searches will be organized with the involvement of the Red Cross Committee and the field assistants for the OSCE Chairman-in-Office on issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Dargahli said.

Recall, on the night of April 2 all frontier positions of Azerbaijan were exposed to heavy fire from large-caliber weapons, mortars, grenade launchers and guns. In addition, Azerbaijani settlements near the front line, densely populated by civilians, were shelled.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20% of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US, are currently holding peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.