The captain of Azerbaijan's Armed Forces Najmaddin Savalanov has been posthumously awarded with medal "For Courage" for his heroism and courage, said Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry on May 9.

Despite the efforts of military doctors, Savalanov has recently passed away in Azerbaijan's Central Military Hospital of his wounds during the hostilities between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in early April.

On the night of April 2, 2016, all the frontier positions of Azerbaijan were subjected to heavy fire from the Armenian side, which used large-caliber weapons, mortars and grenade launchers. The armed clashes resulted in deaths and injuries among the Azerbaijani population. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-attack, which led to liberation of several strategic heights and settlements.

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 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.