Four Armenian soldiers were killed on Wednesday by Azerbaijani fire in Nagorny-Karabakh, a breakaway region disputed by Armenia and Azerbaijan, with Yerevan warning of a ‘risk of destabilization’ as the two sides seek to find a settlement of the conflict under the auspices of the United States.
“Units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire on Armenian positions” in Martouni and Martakert districts overnight, using artillery and drones, the separatists’ “Ministry of Defense” said on Wednesday. in a statement on Twitter.
“Four soldiers were killed as a result of this new provocation by Azerbaijan”, according to the same source.
In the aftermath, the Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinian, warned against a “high risk of destabilization in the South Caucasus”.
“I call on the international community to take practical steps to ensure the rights and security of the people of Nagorny-Karabakh,” he said on Twitter.
The day before, it was the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense which had accused “illegitimate armed Armenian detachments on the territory of Azerbaijan (…) of having opened fire against the positions of the Azerbaijani army in the region of ‘Aghdam”, injuring an Azerbaijani soldier.
A historic power in the region but with contested influence, especially since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, Russia said on Wednesday that it was “concerned”.
“We are concerned and call on the parties (…) to de-escalate the situation,” spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy Maria Zakharova told the press, calling on Baku and Yerevan to “settle all questions by peaceful means”.
This violence comes as Washington, for its part, has been hosting new negotiations since Tuesday between Armenia and Azerbaijan aimed at finding a settlement to the conflict in Nagorny-Karabakh.
The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken thus met separately on Tuesday with his Armenian counterparts Ararat Mirzoïan and Azerbaijani Djeyhoun Baïramov before bringing them together.
The discussions are being held behind closed doors and are due to last until Thursday.
“We continue to believe that peace is within reach and that direct dialogue is the key to resolving outstanding issues and achieving a lasting and dignified peace” for both parties, the spokesperson for the Department of Defense assured Monday. State, Matthew Miller.
The United States had already brought the two ministers together in Washington in early May. Discussions have also taken place in recent weeks in Brussels and Moscow.
Since December, Yerevan has accused Baku of hampering supplies to the secessionist region of Karabakh, by blocking a crucial route, the Lachin corridor, causing shortages.
In mid-June, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian accused Baku of pursuing a policy of “ethnic cleansing” in Nagorny-Karabakh, which is mainly populated by Armenians.
Baku, which defends the installation of a checkpoint citing security reasons, says that civilian transport can circulate unhindered through the Lachin corridor.
But the Armenian branch of the Red Cross last week accused Azerbaijan of blocking access to Nagorno-Karabakh, amid growing concern for the humanitarian situation there.
Azerbaijan and Armenian separatist forces, backed militarily by Yerevan, clashed in two wars, one at the breakup of the USSR, the other in the fall of 2020.
During the first, which left 30,000 dead, the separatists took control of Nagorny-Karabakh and buffer zones around this mountainous territory.
During the second conflict, which left 6,500 dead, Azerbaijan took over these buffer zones and a good part of Nagorny-Karabakh.
A ceasefire, brokered by Moscow, was followed by the deployment of a contingent of Russian peacekeepers, but tensions remain high and negotiations for the signing of a peace treaty are still slipping .
28/06/2023 17:19:49 – Yerevan (AFP) © 2023 AFP