Azerbaijani Defense Ministry: Armenian minister lies

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb.9 / Trend E. Mehdiyev / Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian is lying when he talks about the ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani armed forces, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said. "Everybody in Azerbaijan and Armenia, and even in the Armenian Defense Ministry, knows that Ohanian is lying," Azerbaijani Defense Ministry deputy spokesman Teymur Abdullayev told Trend, expressing his attitude toward the Armenian Defense Ministry's statement. Probably, Ohanian himself does not believe what he says, so there is no need to comment on his absurd assertion, Abdullayev said. Ohanian stated that Armenian units open fire only when the Azerbaijani side starts shooting, Armenian media outlets reported. The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions. Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at agency@trend.az