ArmInfo.Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland has issued a statement on the armed incident that took place on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border on 29 Dec 2016.
"The Council of Europe does not have a direct role in the negotiations, and always refers to, and supports the role of, the OSCE Minsk-Group. However, we are concerned about the humanitarian aspects of the conflict. I am aware that the violations of the ceasefire on 29 December resulted in casualties, and that the Armenian Armed Forces are still holding the body of an Azerbaijani serviceman killed in the fighting. I urge the parties to respect the ceasefire, and I fully support the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group's call for the return, without delay, of human remains - in accordance with the agreements of the Astrakhan Summit of 2010 - bearing in mind the humanitarian nature of this issue," Jagland says in his statement posted on the website of the Council of Europe.
To recall, on December 29 morning, the Azeri armed forces attempted a sabotage attack on the southeastern section of the Azeri-Armenian border near Chinari village of Tavush province of Armenia. The adversary used sniper rifles and grenade launchers. The Armenian troops got to grips with the adversary. Armenian Defense Ministry Spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said that three Armenian servicemen were killed - Senior Lieutenant Shavarsh Melikyan and privates Edgar Narayan and Erik Abovyan. The adversary suffered 7 human losses, including one victim left on the Armenian side when retreating. Five more Azeri servicemen were killed in the course of the punitive measures taken by the Armenian armed forces on December 30.
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