Eight servicemen of Azerbaijani armed forces have been killed during the fighting over the last three days, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reports on August 1.

The armed forces of Armenia, that have become more active in recent days, violate the state border between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the ceasefire on the contact line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian armies and attack the positions of Azerbaijani armed forces.

The reconnaissance and sabotage groups of the Armenian army attempted to cross the contact line of the Azerbaijani and Armenian armies on the frontline. The units of Azerbaijani armed forces repelled all attacks of the enemy; Armenians suffered heavy losses as a result of the fierce fighting and were forced to retreat. The Azerbaijani army lost its eight servicemen.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

Trend.az