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ARMENIA SAYS AZERBAIJAN SHOT DOWN MILITARY COPTER
Peninsula Online, Qatar
Nov 12 2014
November 13, 2014 - 12:00:00 am
BAKU/YEREVAN: Armenia's Defence Ministry accused Azerbaijan's armed
forces yesterday of shooting down a military helicopter belonging
to Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan which is controlled by
ethnic Armenians.
The downing of the helicopter, the first such incident since a
ceasefire was agreed in 1994 after a war over the tiny mountainous
territory in the South Caucasus, ratcheted up tensions between Armenia
and oil-producing Azerbaijan.
Three crew were on board the helicopter, which was on a training
flight, Defence Ministry officials in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia
said. There was no information on casualties.
Azerbaijan confirmed it had shot down a helicopter but said it was
an Armenian aircraft which had intended to attack Azeri soldiers near
the mined and heavily guarded line of contact around Nagorno-Karabakh.
"The enemy's aviation, after a series of manoeuvres, attempted
to attack Azeri positions," the Azeri Defence Ministry said in
a statement.
The attack drew threats of retaliation from Armenia.
"Consequences for this unprecedented aggravation of the situation
will be very painful for the Azeri side," Armenian Defence Minister
Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on his Facebook page.
The violence highlights the risk of tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh
triggering a wider conflict in the South Caucasus, where oil and
natural gas flow from the Caspian region to Europe.
About 30,000 people were killed in 1991 in fighting between ethnic
Azeris and Armenians which erupted as the Soviet Union collapsed.
Despite the 20-year ceasefire, mainly Muslim Azerbaijan and
predominantly Christian Armenia regularly trade accusations of inciting
violence around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Azeri-Armenian border,
where clashes also occur. AFP
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/news/international/307756/armenia-says-azerbaijan-shot-down-military-copter
Peninsula Online, Qatar
Nov 12 2014
November 13, 2014 - 12:00:00 am
BAKU/YEREVAN: Armenia's Defence Ministry accused Azerbaijan's armed
forces yesterday of shooting down a military helicopter belonging
to Nagorno-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan which is controlled by
ethnic Armenians.
The downing of the helicopter, the first such incident since a
ceasefire was agreed in 1994 after a war over the tiny mountainous
territory in the South Caucasus, ratcheted up tensions between Armenia
and oil-producing Azerbaijan.
Three crew were on board the helicopter, which was on a training
flight, Defence Ministry officials in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia
said. There was no information on casualties.
Azerbaijan confirmed it had shot down a helicopter but said it was
an Armenian aircraft which had intended to attack Azeri soldiers near
the mined and heavily guarded line of contact around Nagorno-Karabakh.
"The enemy's aviation, after a series of manoeuvres, attempted
to attack Azeri positions," the Azeri Defence Ministry said in
a statement.
The attack drew threats of retaliation from Armenia.
"Consequences for this unprecedented aggravation of the situation
will be very painful for the Azeri side," Armenian Defence Minister
Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on his Facebook page.
The violence highlights the risk of tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh
triggering a wider conflict in the South Caucasus, where oil and
natural gas flow from the Caspian region to Europe.
About 30,000 people were killed in 1991 in fighting between ethnic
Azeris and Armenians which erupted as the Soviet Union collapsed.
Despite the 20-year ceasefire, mainly Muslim Azerbaijan and
predominantly Christian Armenia regularly trade accusations of inciting
violence around Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Azeri-Armenian border,
where clashes also occur. AFP
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/news/international/307756/armenia-says-azerbaijan-shot-down-military-copter