(Reuters) – Azerbaijan on Sunday denied pulling out its forces from a zone policed by Russian peacekeepers in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, contradicting a statement by Moscow which had accused Baku of violating a peace agreement by entering the area.
“There has been no change in the positions of the Azeri army in the village of Farrukh, which is part of the sovereign territories of our country,” the Azeri defence ministry said.
Moscow on Saturday accused Azerbaijan of violating a 2020 peace agreement by entering the zone and striking positions of Nagorno-Karabakh army with drones, although Azerbaijan refuted Russia’s version of events.
On Sunday, the Russian defence ministry said that after negotiations Azerbaijan had withdrawn its forces from the area.
“The information about the withdrawal of units of the Azerbaijani Army from those positions does not reflect the truth. Our army is in full control of the operational situation,” Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said in a statement.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
