Tovuz District ( Azerbaijani : Tovuz rayonu ) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan . It is located in the north-west of the country and belongs to the Gazakh-Tovuz Economic Region . The district borders the districts of Gadabay , Shamkir , Samukh , Agstafa , as well as the Tavush Province of Armenia and Kakheti region of Georgia . Its capital and largest city is Tovuz . As of 2020, the district had a population of 177,200. A major train line runs through the center, stopping at Tovuz Station.
58-519: In July 2020, Tovuz became the main site for the clashes with Armenia . Tovuz covers 412 km. The rayon is mountainous in the south, where it is crossed by the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region includes rich deposits of ores and precious metals, notably gold . The region is located in the north-west of the Republic, bordering Georgia to the north, Armenia to the west, Gadabay to
116-555: A frozen state. The ceasefire was breached on a number of occasions, particularly during the 2008 clashes , 2016 clashes and during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020. Two more ceasefire agreements have been reached – in 2020 and in 2023 . Bishkek was proposed by Kyrgyz representative Medetkhan Sheremkulov who was head of negotiating group, and offered to proceed discussions in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan after
174-523: A Photo Gallery. Mədəniyyət - TOVUZ RAYON Icra Hakimiyyəti . Museums include Heydar Aliyev Center, History and Local Lore Museum, Ozan Ashug Museum and State Symbols Museum. The ancient village of Goytepe (Göy Tepe) is one of the largest archaeological monuments in Tovuz District, and in Ganja – Gazakh region. It is located 2 km to the northeast from the village of Aşağı Quşçu , and well south of
232-672: A bakery and an adjacent house in Chinari". Then, at about 15:13 the Armenian Ministry of Defense stated that "at this moment there is no need to volunteer" and expressed its deep gratitude to the Armenian "citizens for their readiness to support the defense of the homeland's borders". But at about 16:30, Dargahli claimed that the "recent heavy losses of the Armenian Army in the battles on the border with Azerbaijan forced
290-803: A statement, reporting that the Armenian Armed Forces "violated ceasefire 97 times throughout the day in various direction of the front". According to the ministry, the Armenian Armed Forces fired upon the Azerbaijani positions in Ağdam , and Muncuqlu in Tovuz , and Zamanlı in Gadabay . At about 11:00, at a daily briefing, Hovhannisyan stated that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces "violated the ceasefire regime about 120 times along
348-411: A statement, saying that the "military units of the armed forces of Armenia violated ceasefire 74 times throughout the day in various direction of the front, using large-caliber machine guns, grenade launchers, sniper rifles, 60, 82 and 120mm mortars and the other artillery mounts to escalate the situation", also noting that the attack was "suppressed by retaliation fire". Then, at 10:30, Dargahli said that
406-545: A video on his Facebook page and accused Azerbaijan of shelling Armenian villages. Few minutes later, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan shared a video of two " Su-30SMS "s taking off, stating that they will "go on combat duty to ensure the inviolability of the Armenian aerial borders". At around 20:00, Stepanyan stated that the "operational situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border remains calm", although "random shootings have been registered from
464-482: A video, where an Azerbaijani artillery fire allegedly destroys "military barracks belonging to the Armenian Armed Forces". An hour later, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence published another video, this time showing an Azerbaijani artillery fire allegedly destroying "vehicles that delivered the Armenian reserve forces to" the Armenian battle positions. At 10:05, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense issued
522-413: A video, where artillery fire from Azerbaijani units allegedly destroyed a "command post of the artillery division of the Armenian Armed Forces". Azerbaijani media outlets reported that the "ceasefire was violated yet again at 19:45". This was confirmed by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence at 20:00, which stated that the "Armenian Armed Forces resumed intensive fire on the settlements of Tovuz District and
580-427: A video, where the "military equipment belonging to the Armenian armed forces" was allegedly "destroyed by the precise fire" of Azerbaijani units. At 7:30 Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence published another video, where the "base of a unit of the Armenian Armed Forces" was allegedly destroyed. At 15:02, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence yet again published a video, and reported that the Armenian forces have allegedly violated
638-411: A yard. Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence denied these claims and stated that the "Azerbaijani side does not fire on the civilian population and civilian settlements". At 18:45, Dargahli stated that the Armenian Armed Forces have "fired upon Ağdam and Dondar Quşçu villages of Tovuz District with 120mm mortars and D-30 howitzers ", with Azerbaijani media sharing images of damaged houses. According to
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#1732787618841696-481: Is also found, although in small numbers. The occupation at Mentesh continued for a long period to the end of the Early Bronze Age. Local metallurgy here started already in the first half of the 6th millennium, and developed further during the second half of the 5th millennium. The region is dominated by agriculture. Wine, fruit, vegetables and grain crops are all produced along with cattle. Stock raising
754-540: Is just across the border in Georgia . Mentesh tepe is located close to Zeyem river about 10km east of Goytepe. The excavations of Neolithic levels at Mentesh Tepe have brought to light a material culture related to the Shulaveri-Shomu culture , with some similarity to Baba-Dervish site. The earliest levels of Mentesh represent an advanced Neolitic culture with full domestication of cereals and animals. The pottery
812-519: Is more populated area among them. According to the statistics urbanization is low in the district. 26968 people live in the city and 130907 people live in the village. According to census of 2019, Tovuz has over 175.5 thousand people, out of which 1531 are war veterans. Over 25536 are students and currently are in process of education. According to census of 2012 quantity of people from different nations were divided in this way: In Tovuz district, there are 4 museums, 13 cultural centers, 6 libraries and
870-829: Is one of the main revenue source of this region: There are 24 entities which operate in industrial and agricultural sphere: Where the sown areas for agricultural plants are: According to Azerbaijani MOD , in the afternoon of July 12, Armenian Armed Forces started to fire on Azerbaijani State Border Service positions in Tovuz region using artillery mounds. Thus, clashes between the Armenian Armed Forces and Azerbaijani Armed Forces broke out on July 12.The skirmishes resumed on 13 July and are ongoing with varying intensity, having resulted in at least 16 military and one civilian casualties. Among Azerbaijani military casualties were one major general ( Polad Hashimov ), one colonel (Ilgar Mirzayev) and two majors (Anar Novruzov and Namig Ahmadov). However,
928-476: The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War . Then, at 16:55, Shushan Stepanyan, press secretary of the Armenian Minister of Defence David Tonoyan posted a written statement on her Facebook account. According to Stepanyan, at around 12:30, the servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces attempted to cross the state border of Armenia in a UAZ vehicle for unknown reasons. After the warning of the Armenian side,
986-795: The Armenian Armed Forces and Azerbaijani Armed Forces . Initial clashes occurred near Movses in Tavush Province of Armenia, and Ağdam in Tovuz District of Azerbaijan at the Armenian–Azerbaijani state border . Both sides accused each other of reigniting the conflict, which erupted near the Ganja gap, a strategic route that serves as an energy and transport corridor for Azerbaijan. According to ex-presidents of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan ,
1044-566: The Azerbaijan State News Agency reported that Armenian forces were shelling Ağdam , Tovuz with 120mm artillery. Stepanyan, in response to the reports, stated that the Armenian forces only targeted the "engineering infrastructure and technical means of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces". At around 14:00, the head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, Colonel Vagif Dargahli said that Armenia's "positions, bases, artillery, vehicles, and manpower [deep in
1102-540: The Azerbaijani Air Defense Forces . The Armenian Ministry of Defense denied the Azerbaijani statement, calling it disinformation and lies, adding that if there is such a case, the Armenian side will be the first to report it. According to the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, Armenian forces violated the ceasefire along the line of contact, to which Azerbaijani units responded. According to
1160-442: The "Armenian Armed Forces fired on Ağdam and Əlibəyli villages of Tovuz District with large-caliber weapons and artillery in the morning", also noting that there were no civilian casualties in the Azerbaijani side. Meanwhile, Stepanyan wrote that Azerbaijani "tank movement was observed from combat positions of the Armenian Armed Forces and was curtailed" by fire from the Armenian side. At 09:16, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence issued
1218-582: The "Azeri bases that were shelling border settlements in Tavush". At 12:51, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence shared a video of Azerbaijani drones destroying Armenia's "military equipment, ammunition, command post, reserves in the depths of its defense and manpower". At about 14:28, Azerbaijani media reported that the Armenian Armed Forces have "opened fire from artillery in the direction of Xanlıqlar village of Qazakh District ". At 13:00, Armenian media outlets reported that criminal cases have been opened in
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#17327876188411276-581: The Armenian Defense Ministry to arm anyone who can handle a weapon". He also noted that the "leadership of the Armenian Army is urgently mobilizing former servicemen, conscripts, including the second and third groups of the disabled, as well as prisoners to the Tavush Province". In addition to that, he stated that "there are large gaps in the border among the enemy's personnel". At 21:00, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence published
1334-461: The Armenian forces" hitting the "yard of a house in Dondar Quşçu ". At 8:00, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence confirmed these claims, stating that "Ağdam, Dondar Quşçu and Vahidli villages were fired upon with large-caliber weapons and mortars", noting that "no one was injured among the civilian population". At about 12:50, Armenian media outlets claimed that the Azerbaijani shelling have "damaged
1392-414: The Azerbaijani Armed Forces "never fire on settlements" and that on the contrary, the Armenian Armed Forces has "fired on the villages of Ağdam, Dondur Quşçu and Vahidli in the Tovuz District" this morning, where shells have "hit residential buildings". Azerbaijani media outlets reported that the tensions yet again aggravated at about 4:00. Also, reports were made about one of the artillery shells "fired by
1450-563: The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence gave a statement about the incident. According to the statement, "as a result of adequate measures taken, the enemy was hit and he was repulsed with losses". In response to statements by Stepanyan regarding the UAZ allegations, the Azerbaijani side stated that "if the Azerbaijani Army wanted to cross the state border of Armenia, it would do so not with cars, but with armored vehicles", and pointed out that
1508-609: The Azerbaijani MoD two Armenian servicemen were seriously wounded. Bishkek Protocol The Bishkek Protocol was a provisional ceasefire agreement, signed by the representatives of Armenia , Azerbaijan , the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh , and Russia on May 5, 1994, in Bishkek , the capital of Kyrgyzstan . The protocol ended the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and the conflict entered
1566-444: The Azerbaijani servicemen left their vehicle and returned to their position. At 13:45, the servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces repeated the attempt to occupy the border position of the Armenian Armed Forces, now using artillery fire, but were pressured by the Armenian side, being thrown back. According to Stepanyan, the vehicle previously controlled by the Azerbaijani servicemen was destroyed shortly after. After that, at 17:20,
1624-455: The Azerbaijani side". This was also confirmed by Hovhannisyan. At 05:53, Stepanyan stated that at around 03:40, positions of the Armenian Armed Forces "noticed enemy movement", noting that the Armenian forces repelled Azerbaijan's alleged "attempt of infiltration". According to her, at 05:20, the "Azerbaijani units started shelling the villages of Aygepar, Movses, using mortars and a D-30 howitzer". Dargahli then denied these claims, saying that
1682-694: The Investigative Committee of Armenia on the "fact of shelling of the Tavush branch of the State Border Service of the Police of Armenia , and of shelling of the village of Chinari in the Tavush Province of Armenia by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces". At about 14:30, Hovhannisyan reported that on 13 July Armenian-made combat UAVs were "successfully used in action for first time". At about 15:20, Stepanyan shared satellite photos, according to which, Azerbaijani village of Dondar Quşçu
1740-727: The South Caucasus, the escalation was caused by the Azerbaijani side entering the Armenian territory to which the Armenians reacted immediately. The International Crisis Group states that the violence erupted after an Azerbaijani military vehicle drove close to the border with Armenia near the Armenian village of Movses. The skirmishes continued on 13 July and continued with varying intensity, injuring many, and killing at least 17 military and one civilian. Among Azerbaijani military casualties were one major general , one colonel and two majors . The government of Armenia also reported
1798-502: The background. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence reported on 13 July that Armenian forces have attacked Azerbaijani positions in Shahbuz and Julfa districts with large-caliber weapons at 22:45. At 22:50, Shushan Stepanyan stated that "Azerbaijani forces resumed shelling from the 82mm grenade launcher in the direction of our same position from the tank". This report was confirmed by Habib Muntazir who wrote that "the situation in
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1856-443: The ceasefire in Şərur , Babək and Ordubad districts, also noting that Armenia's "military vehicle moving to the command observation post was destroyed" by Azerbaijani artillery fire. At 16:00, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence published another video, where a "field control post of one of the units of the Armenian Armed Forces" was allegedly "destroyed by the precise fire" of Azerbaijani units. At around 16:00, Hovhannisyan shared
1914-421: The country] were hit" in the morning. A video posted by the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence shows an Armenian military base getting destroyed by Azerbaijani artillery fire. At around 17:00, Stepanyan wrote that the "Azerbaijani Armed Forces have fired three projectiles from a 120 mm caliber grenade launcher in the direction of Chinari ". According to her, one of the projectiles fell on the house, and two more in
1972-529: The current course of Kura river , but closer to Tovuz river which is flowing into Kura. Starting in 2008, “Tovuz Archaeological expedition” conducted new archaeological investigations at Goytepe, and also at the Mentesh tepe ancient settlement nearby. This is a joint investigation of archaeologists from Azerbaijan, Japan and France. In this same area of Azerbaijan are also located the ancient sites of Shomu Tepe , Soyuq Bulaq , and Boyuk Kesik . Shulaveris Gora
2030-422: The day in various direction of the front, using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles". According to the ministry, Armenian forces fired upon Koxanəbi , Əsrik Cırdaxan in Tovuz , and Zamanlı in Gadabay . The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense stated that at night, around 00:30 near Agdam and in the morning at 08:45 near Tovuz two Armenian UAVs attempted to conduct reconnaissance, but were shot down by
2088-645: The deaths of one major , one captain and two sergeants . The skirmishes were conducted mainly through artillery and drones , without infantry. Hostilities between the two sides resumed on 27 September 2020, this time in Nagorno-Karabakh rather than the same areas as the July clashes. This ultimately escalated to the scale of full-on warfare, resulting in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War . The primary matter of contention between
2146-416: The direction of Tovuz has become tense again. Artillery fire was heard on both sides" in his Twitter account. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence reported that clashes in Shahbuz – Julfa direction have stopped. According to the report, the use of rocket-propelled grenades and incendiary shells by the Armenian forces resulted in the burning of up to 5 hectares (0.050 km ) of land area. At 1:30,
2204-528: The enclave to Armenia. A Russian-brokered ceasefire, the Bishkek Protocol , was signed in May 1994, but numerous violations of the ceasefire have occurred since then, most notably the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes . Skirmishes have also spilled over to the Armenian–Azerbaijani state border outside Nagorno-Karabakh, with the 2012 , 2014 and 2018 border clashes being prominent. Tovuz District ,
2262-624: The entire perimeter of the border", noting that artillery was not used. At 09:58, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence issued a statement, reporting that the Armenian Armed Forces "violated ceasefire 53 times throughout the day in various direction of the front, using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles". According to the ministry, Armenian Armed Forces fired upon the "positions of the Azerbaijan Army located" in Ağdam , Tovuz , and in Göyəlli , Gadabay . The Armenian side reported that
2320-683: The fact that the "protection of the border with Armenia in Qazakh , Ağstafa , Tovuz , Gadabay and Dashkasan was transferred from the Ministry of Defence to the State Border Service ", and noted that this "confirms that Azerbaijan has no military purpose on the state border". A recording, allegedly recorded by nearby civilians, was published by local Azerbaijani media. In the recording, Azerbaijani soldiers are shouting "Forward, soldier of Azerbaijan", while shooting sounds are heard in
2378-489: The fighting has decreased, the situation in the region is still considered as volatile. 40°59′32″N 45°37′44″E / 40.9922°N 45.6289°E / 40.9922; 45.6289 2020 Armenian%E2%80%93Azerbaijani clashes Both sides claim victory Per Armenia: Azerbaijani claim: Per Azerbaijan: Armenian claim: 1994 ceasefire 2020 ceasefire 2023 ceasefire The July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes began on 12 July 2020 between
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2436-656: The first meeting between parliamentarians of Azerbaijan and Armenia on ceasing fire in Nagorno-Karabakh was held in Mariehamn . Talks between Azerbaijani and Armenian delegations continued for hours. A representative of Azerbaijan Afiyaddin Jalilov questioned the legitimacy of the participation of Armenians who lived in Karabakh, and required to include the name of Nizami Bakhmanov , a member of his delegation who
2494-606: The head of the Head of the Command and Personnel Faculty of the Vazgen Sargsyan Military University of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia , Artsrun Hovhannisyan wrote that the "night went relatively calm", despite the claims of the Azerbaijani media. Azerbaijani journalists reported that after "a few minutes of silence, the ceasefire was violated again at 8:15". At around 9:00, Dargahli stated that
2552-414: The information given by Ağdam municipality, all of the "women, children and the elderly were evacuated from the village", but "some residents stayed". At around 5:30, Azerbaijani local media outlets reported that Armenian units fired at the Azerbaijani positions with large-caliber weapons from 3:00 to 4:00. Azerbaijani journalists in the area reported that more skirmishes occurred at around 7:00. At 7:21,
2610-484: The main pasture for cattle breeding. The right bank of the river is used for agriculture, occupies the forest fund of the region and the meadow grassland. The annual rainfall is 40–70 mm. There about 20 main villages in the district. They are Quşçu, Öysüzlü, Ayıblı, Alakol, Yuxarı Öysüzlü, Abulbəyli, Düz Qırıqlı, Düz Cırdaxan, Yanıqlı, Qəribli, Azaplı, Bozalqanlı, Dönük Qırıqlı, İbrahimhacılı, Dondar Quşçu, Kirən, Əlibəyli villages and Qovlar settlement. Qovlar settlement
2668-473: The ministry, Armenian forces fired upon Zamanlı in Gadabay . The Armenian Ministry of Defense stated that the night at the border was relatively calm. In some parts of the border, however, "Azerbaijani troops fired about 70 shots". At 09:29, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence issued a statement, reporting that the "military units of the Armed Forces of Armenia violated ceasefire 60 times throughout
2726-462: The night on the border passed quite calmly, but the Azerbaijani side "violated the ceasefire several times, opening fire from small arms at the positions of the Armenian forces". At 10:00, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence issued a statement, reporting that the "military units of the Armed Forces of Armenia violated ceasefire 70 times throughout the day in various direction of the front, using large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles". According to
2784-506: The positions of our units using large-caliber weapons and artillery at 19.30". A subsidiary of Russian oil and gas company Gazprom , Gazprom Armenia 's press service stated that the "gas pipelines have been damaged near the border with Azerbaijan", and the "supply of gas to Nerkin Karmiraghbyur , Aygepar and partly to the settlement of Chinari has been halted" because of this. At 00:00, Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence publishes
2842-687: The site of the main skirmishes, lies opposite to Armenia's Tavush Province , in Azerbaijan's northwestern and borderline territories, along the routes of the Baku–Tbilisi–Akhalkalaki–Kars railway , Baku–Supsa Pipeline , Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan oil pipeline , South Caucasus Pipeline , and the Southern Gas Corridor . The Southern Gas Corridor is a major pipeline that carries natural gas from Azerbaijan to Turkey and Europe through Georgia , located 78 kilometers west of
2900-516: The skirmishes were provoked by Armenia, and Russian minister of foreign affairs Sergey Lavrov stated that "a trigger of sorts was the geographical factor: Armenia’s decision to restore an old border checkpoint, located in 15km distance from Azerbaijan’s export pipelines, caused strong concerns on one side and unwarranted response from the other". According to Stefan Meister, the head of the Heinrich Böll Foundation ’s office for
2958-407: The south and south-west, Shamkir to the east, Samukh from north-east to the north. The southern part of the district is located in the lowlands, the northern part lies in low mountainous and foothill zone, where positive and negative relief forms are shifted. There are three climate areas in the district: The river network: The Kur River divides the region into two parts. The left coast is used as
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#17327876188413016-416: The statement issued by Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan, "roofs of houses belonging to residents of Xanlıqlar village, Salmina Aliyeva, Mahbub Orujova, Aziz Shirinov, Ilham Mehdiyev, Razim Musayev and Kamil Jahanov" were damaged due to the "detonation of a projectile fired by a unit of the Armenian Armed Forces at about 15:00". At 19:36, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence published
3074-583: The town of Tovuz . The exact cause of the initial skirmishes has been unclear. At 16:08, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defence reported that starting from the afternoon "units of the Armenian Armed Forces, grossly violating the ceasefire on the direction of the Tovuz region of the Azerbaijani–Armenian state border, fired on our positions using artillery mounts". According to Azerbaijani Meydan TV reporter, Habib Muntazir, artillery fire
3132-434: The units of the Armenian Armed Forces have "fired at Dondar Quşçu village of Tovuz District with large-caliber weapons and artillery". According to him, civilians were not harmed. At 11:16, Stepanyan stated that the Azerbaijani forces have "targeted the civilian infrastructure of Berd with a UAV strikes". According to her, there were no casualties. Less than 10 minutes later, she shared a video of Armenian forces destroying
3190-549: The warring sides is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that escalated to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War between 1988 and 1994, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by Armenia , and the Republic of Azerbaijan . By the end of the war in 1994, the Armenians were in full control of the enclave (with the exception of the Shahumyan Province ) in addition to areas of Azerbaijan proper connecting
3248-429: Was "surrounded by armed battery positions". Stepanyan said that the Azerbaijani side "surrounded its own population with gun batteries, making it become a target". At around 17:50, Armenian media outlets reported that the Armenian side got control of an "important height". Later, Hovhannisyan also stated that the Armenian forces have "gained better positions", with no confirmation from the Azerbaijani side. According to
3306-455: Was also conducted from Goranboy District , but this was not confirmed. In December 2020, the former president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan declared that the Armenian Armed Forces have provoked the clashes by attacking on Azerbaijani territory. In June 2021, the other ex-president of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan made similar statements, also adding that "simply drove Azerbaijan into a corner, and Azerbaijan certainly had to do something", referring to
3364-492: Was the mayor of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh in the protocol. The protocol and these points were a subject of discussions between President Heydar Aliyev and Kazimirov where it was agreed to include signature of Nizami Bakhmanov into the protocol. Vladimir Kazimirov stated the following in his memoirs: "Aliyev agreed. At the end of the page, two alterations were written in a legible handwriting in Russian. The name of N. Bakhmanov
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