At a press conference held today, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobyan, NKR Defense Minister stated that the Armenian front lines on the right flank along the Arax River had advanced by some four kilometers. He said this was a result of the response by the NKR forces to constant Azeri maneuvering for better positions along the demarcation line. Lieutenant General Hakobyan also stated that during last year the forces of the NKR army also improved its frontline positions on the left flank of the demarcation line as well. The NKR Defense Minister stated that in 2006 there were 589 incidents of Azeri firing violations along the ceasefire line and 116 by the NKR. In 2007, Azeri violations amounted to 1,445 incidents with 431 by the NKR. These figures rose to 3,480 and 728 respectively. This year, there have been, 1098 shots fired by the Azeri side and 186 by forces of the NKR in response. "The NKR Defense Forces have thwarted all attempted infringements by the enemy and I have given my permission to our frontline soldiers to respond when the need arises," stated Lieutenant General Hakobyan. He added that such independent response reaction has forced the enemy to remain bunkered down and has allowed the Armenian side to remain in a dominant position where it is the one calling the shots. "The entire situation on the frontline is constantly being monitored and under control. There are no problems to be reported. All security issues have been addresses. The only problems that do pop up on the frontline are only individual cases of misconduct," the Defense Minister added.