Azerbaijan hoists flag over Madagiz

President Ilham Aliyev reinstates town's historical name, Sugovushan

By Burak Bir

ANKARA (AA) - Azerbaijani soldiers hoisted the flag over the town of Madagiz, once occupied by Armenia, Azerbaijan's president announced on Saturday.

"Today #Azerbaijan's Army hoisted our flag over Madagiz. #Madagiz is ours. #Karabakh is #Azerbaijan!" Ilham Aliyev said on Twitter.

Aliyev added that he had reinstated the town's historical name, Sugovushan, as of Saturday.

Border clashes broke out last Sunday when Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani civilian settlements and military positions, leading to casualties. Azerbaijan's parliament declared a state of war in some of its cities and regions following Armenia's border violations and attacks in occupied Upper Karabakh, also known as Nagorno-Karabakh.

On Monday, Azerbaijan declared partial military mobilization amid the clashes.


- Upper Karabakh conflict

Relations between the two former Soviet nations have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Upper Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.

Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as many international organizations, demand the withdrawal of the occupying forces.

The OSCE Minsk Group -- co-chaired by France, Russia and the US -- was formed in 1992 to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, but to no avail. A cease-fire, however, was agreed upon in 1994.

France, Russia and NATO, among others, have urged an immediate halt to clashes in the occupied region.

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