Azerbaijani Forces Attempt Incursions Into Karabakh

STEPANAKERT — Nagorno-Karabakh’s military on Monday accused Azerbaijani forces of launching attacks on its positions in the territory’s north and northwest.

“On August 1, starting at 9:00, Azerbaijani units in several sections of the northern and northwestern border zone of the Artsakh Republic resorted to provocations by making attempts to cross the line of contact, which were stopped by (Artsakh) Defense Army units,” the Artsakh Defense Army announced.

“The Armenian side suffered no casualties,” it said in a statement issued in the evening. “The situation remains tense.”

In its statement, the Artsakh Defense Army added that “the leadership of the (Artsakh) Republic, together with the command of the (Artsakh) Defense Army and the Russian peacekeeping contingent, is taking appropriate steps to resolve the situation” along the line of contact.

A Karabakh lawmaker, Artur Harutyunyan, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service shortly afterwards that the fighting has stopped for now. He also said that the Azerbaijani army did not capture any Karabakh Armenian positions.

“Everything is under the control of our armed forces,” Davit Babayan, the Karabakh foreign minister said, for his part.

Earlier in the evening, Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan convened an emergency meeting with the Defense Army commander, Kamo Vartanyan, and other security officials to review the “operational and tactical situation” in and around Karabakh, Harutyunyan’s office reported.