YEREVAN — The Armenian Defense Ministry said an Azerbaijani serviceman was arrested today, after he apparently crossed into Armenian territory from the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan. The search for a second Azerbaijani soldier who also is alleged to have crossed the border continues.
The Azerbaijani soldier was apprehended in Ashotavan, a village in Syunik province situated not far from Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave.
The Azerbaijani military reported, meanwhile, that two of its soldiers serving in Nakhichevan have gone missing due to heavy fog. It did not identify them.
The Azerbaijanis were reportedly first spotted overnight in Bnunis, another village just a few kilometers south of the Syunik town of Sisian.
Bnunis and Ashotavan are located about 20 kilometers from the nearest Azerbaijani army positions on Nakhichevan’s border with Syunik. It was not clear how they managed to cross the heavily militarized frontier and advance deep into Armenian territory undetected. Armenia’s Defense Ministry said nothing in this regard.
