Yerevan and Baku exchange accusations in relation to armed incidents in Karabakh
YEREVAN. Jan 3 (Interfax) - The Armenian Defense Ministry has urged the international community to respond to Baku's actions on the separation line of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno Karabakh.
"The Armenian Defense Ministry is drawing the attention of the world community, primarily the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk group to the irresponsible policy of Azerbaijan and stresses the need to condemn such actions," Interfax was told at the ministry's press service.
"Any provocation on the part of Azerbaijan will be strictly punished and inevitably lead to greater losses in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan. The entire responsibility for that rests on the authorities of that country," a ministry official said.
Earlier the Nagorno-Karabakh defense ministry told Interfax that the defense army of Nagorno-Karabakh repelled two attempts by Azeri servicemen to enter the republic's territory in the early hours of Saturday.
The incidents took place in the southern and eastern sectors of the contact line, it said.
"The enemy sustained losses and was thrown back to the initial positions. Two servicemen of the Nagorno-Karabakh defense army were killed and one injured," it said.
Meanwhile, the Azeri Defense Ministry denied reports circulated by Armenian media outlets that Azeri troops attempted a sortie at the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh early on Saturday.
"The information circulated by Armenian electronic media alleging that the Azeri armed forces committed provocation at the front, in which they sustained losses, are lies and inventions," the Azeri Defense Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
