Armenia Says Border Positions Attacked by Azerbaijan Military Forces Overnight

YEREVAN (Sputnik) - The Armenian Defence Ministry on Thursday claimed that its positions came under artillery fire from the Azerbaijan side of the border overnight and the attacks were repelled.

"At nightfall on December 8, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan commenced firing with various caliber firearms in the direction of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia positioned in the eastern part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The adversary's fire was suppressed by retaliatory actions. There were no casualties on the Armenian side," statement at the ministry's website said.

Furthermore, the Armenian Defence Ministry called on the Azerbaijani side to refrain from provocative actions, which may escalate the situation.

The parties have just recently agreed to work toward the border demarcation and demilitarisation. At the meeting in Sochi on 26 November, Armenian President Ilham Aliyev, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the prospects for the normalisation of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and steps to increase stability and security at the border. The meeting followed fierce border clashes of the warring parties that erupted in mid-November, when over a dozen soldiers from both sides were killed and several dozens wounded.

An escalation of the long-running conflict occurred over a year ago and became the most violent in the recent history of hostilities. It claimed the lives of 15,000 people in total and has had a major economic and political impact on Armenia.