The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry regarded Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's recent statements about character of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as 'gratifying and at the same time strange'. "It is gratifying and at the same time strange to hear such statements by a person, who has attempted to convince all that "there is no Christian to the east of us [Armenians]" and that "the Armenians are allegedly ancient Christian nation in the world", Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry's spokesman Elman Abdullayev told Trend on Tuesday.

One of the issues to be discussed during the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ visit to Baku will be recent incidents occurred in the frontline, US ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza said, APA reports. “I don’t expect any special novelty from the visit in addition. But they can bring additional energy to negotiation process”, the ambassador noted.

“The Armenians’ reports that they killed seven soldiers of Azerbaijani Army are misinformation,” deputy spokesman for the Defense Ministry, Captain Teymur Abdullayev told APA. According to the Ministry’s representative, one soldier of Azerbaijani Army has been killed in the recent weeks.

OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will take part in the monitoring on the contact line of the Armenian and Azerbaijani troops. Monitoring will be held on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces near the Jafarli village in the Gazakh region on Nov.29, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said. The monitoring will be held under a mandate of the OSCE chairman. The monitoring will be held on the Azerbaijani side by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Personal Representative Andrzej Kasprzyk, his field assistants Antal Herdich and William Pryor.

Armenian armed forces fired on the positions of Azerbaijani Army from the occupied areas near Tapgaragoyunlu village of Azerbaijan’s Goranboy region at 18.40-18.50 and 20.15-20.25 on November 25, near Garakhanbeyli village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli region at 23.10-23.15, 23.25-23.30 and 23.31-23.36. Press service of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told APA that the enemy was silenced with a reprisal fire.

“First of all that it is question of the public opinion in Azerbaijan and in Armenia to have a debate about acceptance of the solution that is good for people of the both countries”.

“The opinions that the forthcoming elections in the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries – France, Russia and US will create stagnation in the negotiation on settlement of Nagorno Karabakh are fictitious”, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov told APA. Deputy Minister said that the elections are a normal process and held in every country: “But the position of the country is above the elections and it has no relation to Nagorno Karabakh talks. The country’s known position before the election doesn’t be changed after the election.

“Any activity causing economic and infrastructural changes in the occupied Azerbaijani territories is illegal. In this respect, the initiatives to construct a road in Kalbajar region contradicts Geneva Convention,” Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov said, APA reports. Deputy Minister said it was not the first illegal step taken by Armenia.

On November 24, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry held an enlarged military board. Press service of the ministry told APA that the board members, deputies of defense minister, chiefs of office, independent departments, service, commanders of formations and units, their deputies, chiefs of staff, chiefs of education and military facilities participated in the meeting.

On November 28, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will visit Armenia, spokesperson for the Armenian Foreign Ministry Tigran Balayan said, APA reports quoting Armenian press. Balayan said that the co-chairs Robert Bradtke (US), Igor Popov (Russia) and Bernar Fassier (France) will meet with Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan and foreign minister Edward Nalbandian.