As tensions rise in the Karabakh region, Azerbaijan on Monday said Armenia targeted its military positions 10 times over the past 24 hours.
In six of the incidents, Armenian forces opened fire "from positions in the direction of the Basarkechar, Garakilsa and Gorus regions" on Azerbaijani military units "stationed in the direction of the Kalbajar and Lachin regions," the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"The other four cases were recorded as a result of periodic fire opened by the use of sniper rifles and various caliber weapons on the Azerbaijan Army positions, stationed in the direction of the Kalbajar, Goranboy and Fuzuli regions, by members of an illegal Armenian armed detachment in the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed," the statement said.
The ministry said there was no loss of personnel or military equipment, adding that the Azerbaijani military took "adequate retaliatory measures" in all cases.
It reiterated that the "Armenian military-political leadership bears all responsibility for the recent tension that occurred on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, as well as in the territory of Azerbaijan, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed."
Tensions have flared since an Azerbaijani soldier was killed by Armenian fire last week in the border region of Lachin, pushing Baku to launch a retaliatory operation against Armenian forces in Karabakh.
Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military illegally occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
During the conflict in the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades.
The fighting ended with a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10, 2020, which was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia.
However, the cease-fire has been broken several times since then.
Commenting on the renewed tensions in the Karabakh region, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Saturday that Karabakh is located within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan.
Speaking to journalists about the recent escalation, Erdoğan said, "Azerbaijan naturally does not want any illegal armed elements on its territory."
"We talked about these in detail with my brother Ilham (Aliyev) two days ago. First of all, we condemn the attack that caused the death of one of our Azerbaijani brothers," he said.
In January 2021, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It also included the establishment of a trilateral working group in Karabakh.
After the conflict ended, Azerbaijan launched a massive reconstruction initiative in the liberated Karabakh region.
In July, Azerbaijan began the process of returning its people to land recaptured from Armenian forces in what Baku calls "The Great Return." The oil-rich country has vowed to repopulate the liberated lands.
President Ilham Aliyev had for years promised to recapture lands lost in the 1990s and the first returns marked a symbolic moment for Azerbaijan.
