YEREVAN, Armenia: Arch-foes Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of opening fire on their volatile border on Tuesday, with Yerevan saying Azerbaijani forces killed four of its soldiers as Russia and the United States urged restraint.
Yerevan and Baku fought two wars – in 2020 and in the 1990s – over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh before Azerbaijan took it back in a flash last September.
The death on Tuesday came days after the re-election of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who has held power in the oil-rich Caspian country for two decades.
“Four were killed and one wounded as a result of firing on Armenian positions by Azerbaijani troops,” Armenia’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The fighting took place near the village of Nerkin Hand in the southern region of Siunik.
Azerbaijani border guards said the action was a “response” to a “provocation” on Monday by Armenian troops, which Baku said injured an Azerbaijani soldier.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry accused Baku of “constant efforts to frustrate the efforts of parties interested in the stability and security of the South Caucasus” and called for a “return to (peace) talks.”
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell criticized Baku’s actions.
“Yesterday’s Armenian shooting of Azerbaijani soldiers was deplorable. But Azerbaijan’s response today seems disproportionate,” Borrell said in a press statement.
Russia – which used to be the main mediator in the conflict but has been distracted by the invasion of Ukraine in recent years – called for calm and described the violence as “disturbing”.
“We call on both sides to exercise restraint and avoid any actions that the other side might consider provocative,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Armenia has distanced itself from its historic ally Russia since the Azerbaijani offensive, with Yerevan angry that Moscow’s peacekeeping force in Karabakh did not act during the Azerbaijani takeover.
The United States, which brought the two sides to talks before Azerbaijan’s military triumph in September, said the latest violence undermined diplomatic efforts.
“The only path to sustainable peace is at the negotiating table. Any violation of the ceasefire should be investigated and properly dealt with,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Baku denied any territorial claims to Armenia after it regained Karabakh and ruled out a new conflict with Yerevan.
But Aliyev is suspected of trying to wrest control of the Armenian region of Siunik to connect Azerbaijan with the exclave of Nakhchivan, which also borders Iran and Turkey.
Aliyev’s victory in last week’s election was all but guaranteed after his country’s historic victory over Armenian separatists last year.
Internationally mediated peace talks have not yet brought a breakthrough between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed a non-aggression pact last month until a comprehensive peace treaty between the neighbors is concluded.
Pashinyan and Aliyev previously said a peace deal could be signed by the end of last year.
Almost the entire ethnic-Armenian population of Karabakh – more than 100,000 people – fled to Armenia after the takeover of Baku, triggering a refugee crisis.
