Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up
Armenia and Azerbaijan share responsibility for fighting Deadliest violence since 2020 Russia and the US are developing diplomatic efforts Azerbaijan says two civilians were injured
Fresh clashes erupted between Azerbaijan and Armenia on Wednesday as international efforts stepped up to end violence that has killed nearly 100 soldiers in the deadliest fighting between the former Soviet republics since 2020. Armenia’s defense ministry accused Azerbaijan, which is backed politically and militarily by Turkey, of firing artillery, mortars and small arms in a new attack. “The situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijani border remained tense,” the Defense Ministry said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up At least 49 Armenian and 50 Azerbaijani soldiers were killed Tuesday in clashes along the countries’ border, prompting calls for calm from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both sides blamed each other for the fighting. read more The clashes have raised fears of another major armed conflict in the former Soviet Union, while the Russian military has been linked to an invasion of Ukraine. A full-scale conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan would risk drawing in Russia and Turkey and destabilizing an important corridor for pipelines carrying oil and natural gas, just as the standoff over Ukraine disrupts energy supplies. Azerbaijan accused Armenia, which is in a military alliance with Moscow and home to a Russian military base, of firing mortars and artillery at its military units. It said two civilians had been injured since the clashes broke out. “Our positions are being fired upon periodically at the moment,” Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said. “Our units are taking the necessary countermeasures.” On Tuesday, Armenia said its neighbor hit well on its territory, including Jermuk, a resort town known for its hot springs. Reuters could not immediately verify the battlefield accounts from either side.
DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS
The escalation of violence has sparked international concern, with Russia, the United States, France and the European Union calling for restraint and stepping up diplomatic efforts to end the fighting. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said on Tuesday that Russia could either “stir the pot” or use its influence in the region to help “calm the waters”. He made separate calls to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to urge them to end military action. EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar was due to arrive in the South Caucasus on Wednesday to facilitate dialogue between Baku and Yerevan. The Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which Armenia had appealed to after the outbreak of fighting, sent a delegation to assess the situation on the border. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been fighting for decades over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous enclave that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but which until 2020 was inhabited and controlled entirely by Armenians. Azerbaijan made significant territorial gains in and around Nagorno-Karabakh in a six-week war that year. Skirmishes have broken out periodically despite a Russian-brokered ceasefire. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Reporting by Nailia Bagirova in Baku, Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber in Tbilisi and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne. Edited by Guy Faulconbridge and Frank Jack Daniel Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
