Armenian forces fired on Azerbaijani army positions across the border, Baku announced Saturday.
The Armenian troops stationed in the Yukhari Shorja area fired automatic grenade launchers and large-caliber weapons at about 1:50 p.m. local time (9:50 a.m. GMT) in the direction of the Kalbajar region on the Azerbaijani side, said a statement by Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry.
"As a result of the retaliatory actions undertaken by the Azerbaijan Army Units, the opposing side was suppressed," the ministry said, reporting no losses of personnel or military equipment.
"Currently, the situation in this direction is stable, the Azerbaijan Army Units control the operational situation," it added.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
New clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, with the Armenian army attacking civilians and Azerbaijani forces, and violating humanitarian cease-fire agreements.
During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and villages that were occupied by Armenia. A Russian-brokered agreement ended the fighting on Nov. 10, 2020.
During the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Ankara supported Azerbaijan and accused Yerevan of occupying Azerbaijani territories.
Despite the recent conflict, there have been efforts between regional actors to boost cooperation in the region.
Most recently, bilateral relations between Turkey and Armenia have gained a new dimension toward normalization, with Turkish and Armenian special envoys scheduled to meet in Moscow on Jan. 14 to lead dialogue between Ankara and Yerevan.
This time around, however, the reconciliation efforts have Azerbaijan’s blessing and Turkish officials have said Ankara would “coordinate” the normalization process with Azerbaijan.
The move is seen as part of an effort to end tensions in the Caucasus region.
Last month, Moscow also hosted the inaugural meeting of a six-way South Caucasus peace platform, proposed by Turkey and Azerbaijan after the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The six-nation platform includes Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia.
Ankara has made frequent calls for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus. Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.
