Azerbaijani troops repelled an attack by an Armenian “sabotage” and reconnaissance group southeast of the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Ministry of Defense said. 

“The enemy suffered losses and was forced to retreat,” the ministry said today on its website.

Tension has risen along the heavily militarized ceasefire line separating Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, the ministry said, adding that it recorded 50 cases of ceasefire violations by the occupying troops in the past 24 hours.

An Armenian soldier was killed in an armed clash with Azerbaijani troops northeast of Nagorno-Karabakh on the night of January 19-20, the separatist region’s defense ministry said yesterday.

Armenians captured nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet Union’s breakup in 1991.

More than 20,000 people were killed and nearly 1 million Azerbaijanis displaced before Russia brokered a ceasefire in 1994.

The sides have yet to sign a peace agreement despite more than 20 years of talks mediated by the US, Russia and France.

ANN.Az