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YEREVAN, JUNE 8, Soldier of the Defense Army of Artsakh Gevorg Khachatryan, born in 1998, received a gunshot wound by the Azerbaijani fire on June 7, at 23:30, in one of the military units located in the northern direction of the Defense Army, Artsakh’s defense ministry told Armenpress.
The soldier has been transported to the military hospital.
Investigation is underway to clarify the details of the incident.
A Turkish court has ordered two Greek soldiers to be held on charges of ‘military espionage.’ The soldiers claim they lost their way in bad weather before being apprehended by a Turkish border patrol.
A court in the northwestern Turkish city of Edirne has ordered the detention of two Greek soldiers, charging them on suspicion of “military espionage.” Greek authorities have demanded the soldiers — a lieutenant and a sergeant — be immediately released.
The soldiers, who were apprehended by officers in a Turkish military zone, claim they lost their way due to heavy snow and fog before straying over the border. The two-man Greek patrol was detained in an unclearly marked wooded area near Edirne.
The Greek military confirmed the men’s statements and said that Greek and Turkish authorities were in contact and working toward a solution to have the soldiers returned.
A Greek official said Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was “closely following” developments and was in “constant contact” with the Greek defense and foreign ministers.
Greek government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said he expected the return of the two soldiers to be a “pure formality” and that Athens expected to “swiftly settle the issue.”
However, the Turkish court’s decision on Friday could see the men ordered to remain in prison ahead of a trial, a date for which has not yet been set up.
Sour relations
Despite being NATO allies, relations between Greece and Turkey have become increasingly strained in recent years.
One festering sore is the issue of Cyprus, the northern part of which has been occupied by Turkish troops since 1974, following an Athens-inspired coup aimed at uniting the island with the rest of Greece.
Tensions in the Aegean Sea continue to remain high after Turkey last year vowed to block any moves by the Greek Cypriot government to exploit oil reserves in the Mediterranean.
However, Ankara’s greatest gripe concerns a Greek court decision not to extradite eight Turkish former servicemen who fled to Greece following the botched 2016 military coup against the Turkish government. The court ruled that the men, who deny any role in the attempted government overthrow, would not receive a fair trial if they were returned to Turkey. The ruling infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
When asked whether Ankara could keep the two soldiers as leverage to secure the extradition of the eight Turkish servicemen, Tzanakopoulos said: “I have heard various scenarios since this morning about possible negotiations the Greek government could enter with Turkey on possible exchanges. These are spy and conspiracy scenarios that do not merit comment.”
dm, js/aw (AP, AFP, Reuters)
Republic of Artsakh Defense Army (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic/NKR DA) serviceman Hayk Kalantaryan (born in 1998) was fatally wounded.
He was killed on Wednesday at around 1:50pm, at the protection area of an Artsakh DA military unit, and from a shot fired from the Azerbaijani side.
An investigation is underway to find out the details of this incident.
The Nagorno Karabakh Republic Defense Army serviceman Armen Harutyunyan, 21, was lethally injured in Azeri gunfire Friday, May 26,
The soldier was killed in the northern direction of line of contact, at an NKR army unit’s defense position.
An investigation is underway to find out the details of the incident.
Contract serviceman of the NKR Defense Army Gegham Manukyan (born in 1979) has been killed as a result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side in the northern direction of the Defense Army at about 11:00 today, the NKR Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Investigation into the details of the incident is under way.
“The NKR Defense Ministry shares the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses support to the serviceman’s family and friends,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry said another soldier, private of the NKR Defense Army Koryun Kirakosyan (born in 1988) was heavily wounded in Azeri firing in the Martakert direction at about 12:00 today.
Three Armenian servicemen were killed in Azerbaijan‘s attempted subversive attack near the village of Chinari in Tavush province in the early hours of Thursday, December 29, a Defense Ministry spokesman said in a Facebook post.
“The Armenian Armed Forces neutralized the Azeri troops’ activity on the border and thwarted the attack, which resulted in deaths and injuries, including among our forces,” Artsrun Hovhannisyan said.
“Senior Lieutenant Shavarsh Melikyan, privates Edgar Narayan and Erik Abovyan were killed in the fighting that broke out after the diversionary attack was attempted.”
According to Hovhannisyan, the Armenian Defense Ministry possesses undeniable evidence of violation of the state border by Azerbaijan.
“Azerbaijani military authorities bear the whole responsibility for the provocation,” he added.
Hovhannisyan said earlier that Azerbaijani troops attempted a subversive attack near the village of Chinari in Armenia’s Tavush province in the early hours of Thursday.
Armenian serviceman Gurgen Aivazyan (b. 1996) was killed this evening by Azerbaijani fire while on combat duty at one of the military units in the north-eastern direction of the Line of Contact, NKR Ministry of Defense reports.
An investigation into the incident is underway.
The Ministry extends condolences to the family and companions-in arms of the killed soldier.
The NKR Ministry of Defense also says that Azerbaijani troops continued ceasefire violations along the Line of Contact on Wednesday. Azerbaijani forces used an AGS-17 automatic grenade launcher and a SPG-9 tripod-mounted anti-tank gun in the northeastern direction (Talish).
Hayk Hambardzumyan
YEREVAN. – The serviceman, who sustained a gunshot wound at a Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR/Artsakh) Defense Army position on October 7, is in serious but stable condition.
The Ministry of Defense of Armenia Central Clinical Military Hospital, in capital city Yerevan, informed the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am.
They also noted that Hayk Hambardzumyan, 20, was wounded in the chest, and his liver was damaged.
On Monday, the wounded soldier was transferred from the NKR capital city Stepanakert Military Hospital to Yerevan, by a helicopter.
Hambardzumyan is from Yerevan. His mother is dead, and he lives with his father and elder sister.
As reported earlier, Hayk Hambardzumyan was wounded at a protection area of an NKR Defense Army unit located in a southerly direction of the line of contact, and as a result of the shots fired by the Azerbaijani armed forces.
The Defense Army had informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that an investigation is underway to find out the details of this incident.
Clashes between Turkish army and militants of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) have claimed the lives of four Turkish soldiers.
Officials said Sunday that three soldiers were killed as PKK opened fire on forces stationed in a forested area of Ordu province in northern Turkey.
The provincial governor, Irfan Balkanlioglu, said in a statement that two soldiers were also injured in the skirmishes, adding that a large contingent of troops were sent to the area to assist an ongoing operation against militants.
Security sources said another soldier was killed and six more were wounded as Turkish forces launched a security operation in a remote corner of Hakkari province in southeast Turkey.
For about a year, Turkey has been carrying out a large-scale military crackdown on suspected PKK militants in the southeast. The military claims it has killed thousands of PKK members, although rights campaigners and Kurdish political parties challenge the figure, saying most of those killed have been civilians.
On Saturday, the army launched a counterattack on militants who were attempting to storm a military base in Hakkari. Sources said 35 PKK militants were killed in the clashes.
Dozens of Turkish soldiers have been killed in clashes with the PKK over the past months. Five soldiers were killed Friday after militants attacked troops on a road near Cukurca district in Hakkari.
Turkey has expanded its anti-PKK attacks into the Syrian and Iraqi territories, despite fierce opposition by the two Arab countries.
A contract serviceman of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Defense Army was wounded in a military post in a series of intensive shootings released by Azerbaijan’s armed forces after midnight.
According to Nagorno-Karabakh’s Ministry of Defense, adversary committed a total of 18 ceasefire violations overnight, releasing 200 gunshots from sniper weapons.
The injured serviceman, Mher V Ziloyan, 25, was immediately hospitalized. His condition is estimated as satisfactory.
A probe has been launched into the incident. The advance military troops of the Defense Army keep the situation on the frontline under control, continuing their military vigil.