Armenia’s defense ministry on Friday accused Azerbaijan’s armed forces of opening fire on Armenian positions, in violation of a cease-fire agreement, the ministry said in a post on social media.
“On September 23, at 0740 (0340 GMT), units of the Azerbaijani armed forces again violated the cease-fire regime by firing from different positions against Armenian combat positions located in the eastern area of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” the ministry said in a post on Facebook on Friday.
Armenia said it had opened retaliatory fire and reported no losses among its service personnel.
There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijan on the claims. Earlier this week Baku accused Armenia of staging “provocations” along the shared border by firing mortars and grenades at its forces.
Fighting between the two sides erupted earlier this month in clashes that left almost 200 soldiers dead — the bloodiest confrontation since a six-week war between the two ex-Soviet countries in 2020.
The fighting is linked to decades-old hostilities over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but until 2020 largely controlled by the majority ethnic Armenian population.
Armenia said Azerbaijan attacked its territory and seized settlements inside its borders, beyond the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan said it as responding to “provocations” from the Armenian side.
Russia is a military ally of Armenia though also tries to maintain friendly relations with Azerbaijan and has resisted Yerevan’s calls to trigger a mutual self-defense clause. Baku is backed militarily, financially and politically by Turkey.
Armenia says Azerbaijan broke cease-fire pact
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Armenia says Azerbaijan broke cease-fire pact
- Fighting between the two sides erupted earlier this month in clashes that left almost 200 soldiers dead
Bangladesh’s religio-political party open to unity govt
- Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years
DHAKA: A once-banned Bangladeshi religio-political party, poised for its strongest electoral showing in February’s parliamentary vote, is open to joining a unity government and has held talks with several parties, its chief said.
Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in the first election it has contested in nearly 17 years as it marks a return to mainstream politics in the predominantly Muslim nation of 175 million.
Jamaat last held power between 2001 and 2006 as a junior coalition partner with the BNP and is open to working with it again.
“We want to see a stable nation for at least five years. If the parties come together, we’ll run the government together,” Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman said in an interview at his office in a residential area in Dhaka, days after the party created a buzz by securing a tie-up with a Gen-Z party.
Rahman said anti-corruption must be a shared agenda for any unity government.
The prime minister will come from the party winning the most seats in the Feb. 12 election, he added. If Jamaat wins the most seats, the party will decide whether he himself would be a candidate, Rahman said.
The party’s resurgence follows the ousting of long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a youth-led uprising in August 2024.
Rahman said Hasina’s continued stay in India after fleeing Dhaka was a concern, as ties between the two countries have hit their lowest point in decades since her downfall.
Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, Rahman said: “We maintain relations in a balanced way with all.”
He said any government that includes Jamaat would “not feel comfortable” with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected unopposed with the Awami League’s backing in 2023.
