Armenia and Azerbaijan trade blame for deadly border clashes
Armenia and Azerbaijan reported new deadly clashes on the border between the two countries on Friday, the latest in a series of incidents that have raised concerns about a possible return to war, Agerpres quoted AFP.
The Armenian Ministry of Defense said four of its soldiers were killed and one was wounded in fighting in the Sotk region in the south-east of the country. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said two of its soldiers were wounded in a drone attack in the Kalbajar region, also near the border.
The two sides have accused each other of escalating tensions in the region. Armenia has said that Azerbaijan is blocking a key route to Nagorno-Karabakh, a separatist region that has been controlled by Armenia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Azerbaijan has said that Armenia is amassing troops and weapons near the border.
The latest clashes come after a June 28 incident in which four Armenian soldiers were killed in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The two countries fought a war over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, which ended with a cease-fire that saw Azerbaijan gain control of territory. The peace process has since stalled, despite mediation efforts by Russia, Europe, and the United States.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
