Armenia hinders return of 5 bodies, Baku claims

Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU (AA) - The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry Monday has deemed "unacceptable" the conditions put forth by Armenia for the recovery of five Azerbaijani soldiers who were martyred in a border clash on Feb. 24.

The recovery of the bodies was due to begin at noon on Sunday under the mediation of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said Armenia violated the procedure and asked for "unacceptable" conditions. The ministry, however, did not provide information on said conditions.

In addition, the ministry said in a separate statement that Azerbaijan’s Talish village located in the disputed Karabakh region had been subjected to "provocations" from the Armenian army. The ministry added that it had been repelled.

Clashes in the occupied Karabakh region, which pro-Armenian militia occupied in 1993, are nothing new.

In April 2016, more than 270 military personnel lost their lives in the worst-ever breach of a 1994 treaty between the sides, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Three UN Security Council Resolutions (853, 874 and 884), and United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 19/13 and 57/298 refer to Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe refers to the region as being occupied by Armenian forces.