Azerbaijan downs Armenian drone

BAKU

Azerbaijan said Wednesday that it downed an Armenian drone amid heightened tensions along the border with its western neighbor.

The drone was conducting reconnaissance activities over Azerbaijani positions near the district of Tovuz, where recent clashes had taken place between the two countries, the Defense Ministry said in a statement that included images of the downed drone.

On July 12, the Armenian army violated a cease-fire and attacked Azerbaijani positions with artillery fire, withdrawing after losses following retaliation from the Azerbaijani army.

During its aggression, Armenia martyred 12 Azerbaijani soldiers, including high-ranking officers, besides wounding four troops.

Despite international calls for restraint, Armenian troops opened fire on civilian settlements in the villages of Agdam and Dondar Kuscu. A 76-year-old Azerbaijani national lost his life in the attacks by Armenia, which Baku has accused of hiding losses.

Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for the "provocative" actions, with Turkey throwing its weight behind Baku and saying it is warning Yerevan that it would not hesitate to stand against any kind of attack on its eastern neighbor.

Since 1991, the Armenian military has illegally occupied the Upper Karabakhn, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as decisions by many international organizations, refer to this fact and demand the withdrawal of the occupational Armenian forces from Upper Karabakh and seven other occupied regions of Azerbaijan.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar