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The Armenian authorities have decided to release and repatriate an Azerbaijani soldier who crossed into Armenia on February 28.

The soldier, identified as Ruslan Panahov, was detained by Armenian troops near the border village of Tegh in Syunik Province. He was armed with an assault rifle and a mag of bullets.

In a statement on Monday, the National Security Service (NSS) said an investigation revealed that Panahov had lost his way and crossed the border into Armenia after fleeing an Azerbaijani combat position because of an “incident” between Azeri servicemen.

“The Republic of Armenia has decided to hand over Ruslan Panahov to Azerbaijan as a sign of goodwill and in accordance with a high-level Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement on the soonest possible repatriation of servicemen straying into each other’s territory,” reads the statement.