On 8 November, an exchange of fire near Shusha in the Karabakh region left one Armenian civilian dead and three further wounded.
According to a statement by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Azerbaijani Armed forces opened fire on civilians carrying out construction work in the Russian peacekeepers’ zone.
Ararat Mirzoyan, Armenian’s Foreign Minister, went on to condemn the “continuing Armenian-hating rhetoric” reproduced by the Azerbaijani government.
In response, the spokeswoman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Leyla Abdullayeva, also released a statement. She countered Mirzoyan affirmation, insisting that the event was caused by an instigation made by the Armenian side.
On the day after the incident, Arshak Karapetyan, the Armenian Defense Minister, travelled to the area to conduct an inspection about the event. Abdullayeva stated that his visit was illegal, adding that it was a continuation of provocations from Armenia.
The cross-fire took place a year after the city of Shusha was retaken by Azerbaijani military forces. The day was marked by the country’s first “Victory Day”, a holiday created by the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to commemorate the end of the war.
