The Armenian Parliament said 15 of its soldiers died as a result of the recent border clash and claimed that it lost two combat positions while blaming Azerbaijan for the violence. Reports also emerged of Azerbaijan capturing a dozen Armenian soldiers.
Military clashes have been reported on the shared borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The escalation in military clashes comes a year after a 44-day war that had ensued between the two sides till Azerbaijan won.
The Armenian Parliament claimed that it has lost 15 of its soldiers as a result of the recent border clash. It also said that it lost two combat positions owing to Azerbaijan’s violence. Reports have also emerged showing Azerbaijan capturing a dozen Armenian soldiers.
The Azeri defense minister in turn blamed Armenian forces for committing a “large-scale provocation at the state border.” Azerbaijan said that two of its soldiers were also injured.
As both sides blame each other for the provocation, the intense fighting has triggered concerns among world leaders.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken took to Twitter and called on both sides to “constructively” resolve issues.
He wrote in a tweet, “We are troubled by the reports of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We call on both sides to engage directly and constructively to resolve all outstanding issues, including border demarcation”.
The French foreign ministry also expressed concerns pertaining to the deteriorating situation and advised both countries to respect the ceasefire.
Russia brokers a ceasefire yet again
As per reports, Azerbaijan and Armenia have agreed to a ceasefire again on Tuesday following Russia’s encouragement for both countries to step back from confrontation.
Armenia’s defense ministry said, “In accordance with an agreement by the Russian side, the fire ceased on the eastern section of the Armenian-Azeri border. The situation is relatively stable”.
It must be noted that Russia mediated a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia previously in 2020 following the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The conflict was brought to an end after Russia deployed around 2000 peacekeepers to the region.
Once again Russia de-escalated the tensions. However, there is a high probability that the border clashes will flare up again due to Armenia being an obstacle for Azerbaijan’s Zangazur corridor.
The Zangazur corridor would connect the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic to the rest of Azerbaijan through Armenia’s Syunik Province. However, Armenia has increasingly objected to it, proclaiming that “corridor logic” deviates from the ceasefire statement trilaterally signed at the end of that war, and that it is a form of propaganda.
In response, Azerbaijan’s leader, Ilham Aliyev, pledged earlier this year that he would “force” Armenia to concessions related to the corridor.
Both countries are also increasing their military budget.
