Seven Azerbaijani Servicemen Martyred in Latest Border Clashes with Armenia

Seven servicemen of the Azerbaijan Armed Forces have been killed in the latest flare-up of tensions triggered by the Armenian military on the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border this week, the country’s Defense Ministry reported.

One of the martyrs was a lieutenant, one a long-term active military serviceman junior sergeant, and the other five were soldiers. Ten more were also wounded in the clashes, according to the ministry.

The one-day intense hostilities on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border sparked after a well-organized massive attack of the Armenian troops on the Azerbaijani military positions in the Kalbajar and Lachin districts on November 16, 2021. According to Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, the aim of the Armenian attack was to capture heights in these directions and take more advantageous positions in order to gain military superiority.

The Armenian military has reportedly deployed weapons of various calibers, grenade launchers, as well as artillery for advancing through part of Azerbaijan’s state border. Azerbaijan Armed Forces took immediate retaliatory measures and destroyed an anti-tank installation and a mortar of the enemy to suppress the attack. Armenian troops retreated after the combat activity along the border was completely taken under control by the Azerbaijani forces close to the evening.

“All the responsibility for the present situation lies on the military-political leadership of Armenia,” Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said in a phone conversation with President of the European Council Charles Michel on November 16.

Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov discussed the situation on the border with his Turkish and Russian counterparts on phone. Russian minister offered assistance in ending the hostilities and de-escalating the situation, while the Turkish defense chief noted that Turkey supports Azerbaijan as it always does.

In the meantime, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Chavushoglu blamed Armenia for infiltrating and committing “terror attacks” within Azerbaijan’s borders. He called for joint action for achieving lasting peace and said Turkey would never leave Azerbaijan alone. According to Chavushoglu, Azerbaijan and Armenia have been following completely different policies post-war with the first seeking a comprehensive peace agreement and new formats of regional cooperation and reviving regional communications, and the latter refusing to abandon provocative and hostile actions.

Escalations along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border have been ongoing since May 2021 following a bloody war between the sides in the latter’s Karabakh (Garabagh) region last year. As a result of the 44-day war that broke out on September 27, 2020, the Azerbaijani army liberated over 300 settlements, including five major cities, from nearly 30-year-long illegal Armenian occupation. The war ended after a tripartite statement was signed on November 10 by Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. Armenia returned three more districts to Azerbaijan’s control as part of its obligations under the agreement.

Azerbaijan restored control of a larger portion of its 1,007-kilometer borderline with neighboring Armenia after the districts of Zangilan, Gubadli, Kalbajar, and Lachin were liberated in 2020. After regaining access to the border, Azerbaijan rolled out border protection measures.

The Azerbaijani government has been calling on Armenia’s authorities to recognize each other’s territorial integrity and borders and start working on delimitation and demarcation procedures. Baku is convinced that there should be a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

However, the peace call of Baku remains unanswered amidst regular armed provocations of Armenia. On November 18, the Armenian military shelled the border positions of the Azerbaijani army located in the western Tovuz district. Armed forces of Azerbaijan responded with retaliation fire.