LUXEMBOURG (RFE/RL) — Officials in Armenia and Azerbaijan have confirmed an outbreak of military clashes in two regions of Nagorno-Karabagh.
In an interview, Azg daily editor-in-chief Hagop Avedikian confirmed that clashes had indeed taken place on March 4, with the more intense fighting in the vicinity of the village of Leonarkh, in the Martakert region of Karabagh.
Avedikian, citing information from Gen. Seyran Ohanyan, the Armenian armed forces’ chief of staff, said that the Azeri forces tried to and succeeded in reclaiming an Armenian stronghold in Leonarkh earlier during the week. The Armenian side, he said, appealed to the cease-fire monitoring organizations, seeking the return of the land. After Azerbaijan twice refused to return the stronghold, Avedikian said the Armenian forces, according to Ohanyan, attacked and again reclaimed the land for the Armenians.
