Azerbaijan hands over bodies of 95 more Armenian soldiers

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU, Azerbaijan (AA) – Azerbaijan on Tuesday handed over the bodies of 95 more Armenian soldiers killed in the border clashes which it says was caused by the "provocation" of the Armenian army.

The bodies were handed over to Armenia through the International Red Cross, said a written statement by Azerbaijan's State Commission for Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons.

Before the delivery, the bodies of 95 Armenian soldiers were examined by the staff of Azerbaijani prosecutor's office and no traces of violence were found on the bodies, it said.

The search operations in the engagement area for Armenian soldiers who died in the clashes between Sept. 12-14 continue, it added.

The process of handing over the bodies of Armenian soldiers to Armenia will continue, it also said.

Azerbaijan handed over 32 bodies of Armenian soldiers on Sept. 17.

While Yerevan announced that 207 Armenian soldiers were either killed or went missing during recent clashes, Baku said 80 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed.

Baku has accused Yerevan of "large-scale provocations," saying saboteurs planted mines and Armenian forces carried out "intensive" firing on Azerbaijani positions.

Türkiye reiterated its support to Azerbaijan, calling on Armenia to remain committed to the agreement that ended the armed conflict in 2020.

Azerbaijan and Armenia recently reached a cease-fire following border clashes that claimed lives on both sides.

Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

Baku liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Yerevan during new clashes in the 2020 fall which ended after a Moscow-brokered truce. The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.