ISTANBUL

Azerbaijan announced on Wednesday that its military positions in the Nakhchivan exclave came under fresh fire from Armenian forces. 

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry stated that troops stationed near the settlement of Shada in Nakhchivan's Shahbuz district were fired upon at 6:30 p.m. local time (1430GMT).

“Adequate response measures have been taken by our units in the mentioned direction,” the statement added.

In response, Armenia's Defense Ministry denied the accusation, stating that Azerbaijan's claim "does not correspond to reality." The Armenian ministry further noted that Yerevan has proposed the creation of a joint mechanism to investigate "ceasefire violations and/or related cases." Azerbaijan has not yet responded to this proposal.

Tensions between Baku and Yerevan have persisted since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, along with seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was reclaimed by Azerbaijan during a 44-day war in the fall of 2020, which concluded with a Russian-brokered peace agreement that initiated the process of normalization and border demarcation talks.

Last September, Azerbaijan established full sovereignty over Karabakh following an "anti-terrorist operation," after which separatist forces in the region surrendered.