Armenia Says 4 Killed in Border Flare-Up With Azerbaijan

Defense News ,Armenia & Azerbaijan :- Armenia and Azerbaijan, longstanding adversaries with a history of conflicts, have accused each other of initiating gunfire along their volatile border. On Tuesday, Armenia reported that Azerbaijani forces had killed four of its soldiers near the village of Nerkin Hand in the southern Siunik region. The incident follows Azerbaijan's recent re-election of President Ilham Aliyev, who has been in power for two decades after a decisive offensive in the disputed Nagorno Karabakh region in September 2020.

The Armenian defense ministry asserted that the casualties resulted from Azerbaijani troops firing on Armenian positions, while Azerbaijan's border guards claimed it was a response to a provocation by Armenian troops that had injured one Azerbaijani soldier the previous day. Baku's defense ministry further alleged that Armenian forces had fired on the Kokhanabi village in the Tovuz region on Monday, a claim Armenia vehemently denied.

Amid escalating tensions, Russia, which historically mediated the conflict, expressed concern and urged restraint. The Kremlin called for both sides to exercise caution, emphasizing the need to prevent actions that could be perceived as provocative.

Armenia's relationship with its historic ally Russia has strained since Azerbaijan's takeover of Karabakh, as Yerevan criticized Moscow's peacekeeping force for not intervening during the offensive. Azerbaijan, while denying territorial claims to Armenia, is suspected of seeking control over Armenia's Siunik region to connect Azerbaijan to the Nakhchivan exclave, bordered by Iran and Turkey.

President Aliyev's recent election victory, following Azerbaijan's triumph over Armenian separatists, has further heightened tensions. Despite international mediation efforts, including unsuccessful peace talks, the ongoing conflicts persist. Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan proposed a non-aggression pact to Azerbaijan last month, suggesting it as a precursor to a comprehensive peace treaty between the neighboring nations. However, no significant breakthrough has been achieved in diplomatic negotiations, leaving the region in a precarious situation. The aftermath of Azerbaijan's takeover of Karabakh has caused a refugee crisis, with the majority of the ethnic-Armenian population fleeing for Armenia.