Azerbaijan announced on Wednesday that it had detained a member of a group of Armenian saboteurs who tried to cross the border, but Yerevan denied the claim.
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The incident happened a day after a European Union (EU) border patrol unit announced its involvement in a shootout that Armenia blamed on Azerbaijan.
“On August 16, around 11:15 a.m. (9:15 a.m. Latvian time), the intelligence and sabotage group of the Armenian army tried to enter the territory of Azerbaijan,” the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan announced.
“Thanks to the vigilance of our units (..), the provocation of the Armenian soldiers was prevented,” the ministry said, adding that the wounded member of the Armenian group was captured. “The remaining members of the intelligence and sabotage group were forced to retreat,” the ministry added.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry said Baku’s version of events was an “absolute lie” and that the Armenian reservist had fled the combat positions on his own initiative. “The possible scenario and circumstances of how the reservist could get to the Azerbaijani side are being studied,” the Armenian Defense Ministry said.
Tensions between Baku and Yerevan have risen sharply in recent days, with both sides accusing each other of cross-border shelling and violation of agreements.
The biggest point of contention between the two sides is over Nagorno-Karabakh, a small mountainous region internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but inhabited mainly by Armenians. Baku and Yerevan have fought two wars over the region and have failed to reach a lasting settlement despite mediation efforts by the European Union, the United States and Russia.
2023-08-16 17:41:36
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