Turkish, Azerbaijani defense ministers discuss tension at Armenia border

Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a telephone conversation on Nov. 16 with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Zakir Hasanov, to discuss Azerbaijan-Armenia tension.

Hasanov informed Akar about recent tension at the Armenian border, stressing that Armenia's "provocation was prevented," according to a statement by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Akar stressed that Turkey, as always, stands by Azerbaijan, the statement added.

Armenian armed forces once again opened fire on Azerbaijani army positions on the border Tuesday, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

Two Azerbaijani soldiers were injured in the attack, it noted.

Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

During a 44-day conflict that started in late September last year, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were illegally occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

7 soldiers killed on Armenian border: Azerbaijan

At least seven Azerbaijani soldiers were killed during combat operations on the Armenian border on Tuesday,
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry has said.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said 10 other soldiers were also injured during the operations.

"The situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border has stabilized since the evening of November 16," the statement read. "The provocation and military adventurism committed by Armenia on the state border completely failed ..."

Earlier, the ministry said Armenian forces carried out "large-scale...