Armenia and Azerbaijan confirmed on Friday that they had suffered casualties in clashes along their shared border, situated to the northwest of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenia’s Defence Ministry reported the loss of four servicemen, with another wounded, due to shelling in proximity to the border villages of Sotk and Norabak. Azerbaijan, on the other hand, alleged that Armenia had used drones to strike its positions in the Kalbajar region across the border, resulting in three Azerbaijani servicemen sustaining injuries.
This incident occurred shortly after Armenia accused its treaty ally, Russia, of showing “absolute indifference” toward attacks on Armenian territory.
Armenia contended that Azerbaijan had amassed forces near the border and utilized drones, mortars, and small arms fire to target its positions. Azerbaijan denied assembling forces but admitted to taking “retaliatory measures” in response.
Nagorno-Karabakh, recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan but predominantly inhabited by ethnic Armenians, has been a longstanding source of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, dating back well over a century and persisting since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Although intermittent discussions have occurred to negotiate a peace agreement, delineate borders, resolve disputes regarding the enclave, and thaw relations, tensions remain high, and skirmishes along the shared border are recurrent. A two-day clash in September of the previous year resulted in approximately 300 casualties on both sides.
Ongoing hostilities, coupled with Azerbaijan’s months-long blockade of Karabakh, have strained the historically warm relations between Armenia and Russia. Russia, Armenia’s traditional ally, maintains a peacekeeping contingent in Karabakh.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry accused Russia of displaying “absolute indifference to the aggression against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia” and of employing a “false pretext” to evade supporting Armenia.
In recent months, Russia has publicly supported Azerbaijan’s claim to Nagorno-Karabakh and has placed blame on Armenia for the continued blockade of the separatist-held Karabakh.
