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Azerbaijan buries its dead soldier, but Yerevan is not contrite

22 May 2018

An Azerbaijan soldier who was killed in combat on Sunday (20 May) near the Nakhchivan sector of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was buried on Tuesday in his home village of Qirak Qasamli in Agstafa Region. The Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan said that Adil Ali Tatarov had been awarded the Medal of Merit and that he was killed whilst trying to prevent "an enemy provocation". The incident during which Tatarov was killed was apparently linked to an Armenian operation to stop new engineering work on the Azerbaijani side of the border.

On Tuesday, Armenian foreign ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan told the Armenian media that the Azerbaijani side was carrying out engineering works at this sector of the border and that this "poses a danger to Armenian military positions".

"We have repeatedly warned, including the mediators, that such actions strain the situation and can lead to deaths." Balayan noted that the recent death of an Azerbaijani soldier could have also been "a result of personal relations", and not of exchange of fire-as Baku claims.

"At any rate, we will not allow change to the positions at any sector," stated Tigran Balayan. "Our CSTO and other partners are informed of Azerbaijan's actions. Also, they have been informed that those actions can lead to a strain in tension."

source: commonspace.eu with agencies

photo: The funeral of Adil Ali Tatarov in Agstafa region on Tuesday, 22 May 2018.

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