Armenian and Azeri soldiers clash

South Caucasus rivals
Armenia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday accused each other of opening
fire around the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region in a clash
that killed a total of seven soldiers.
The two neighbours – both formerly part of the Soviet Union
– have fought repeatedly over the last 35 years for control of
Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognised as part of
Azerbaijan but home to a mainly ethnic Armenian population.
The Azeri defence ministry said three troops had died in a
clash close to the contested Lachin Corridor, a key road into
Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia that crosses through Azeri
territory. The Armenian defence ministry said four of its
soldiers had died and another six had been wounded.
Yerevan had earlier accused Azerbaijan of opening fire
on Armenian troops performing engineering work near the village
of Tegh in Armenia’s southern Syunik province. It said its
forces had taken “countermeasures”, without providing details.
Tegh is the last village on the Lachin Corridor in Armenia
before it enters Azeri territory.
Baku said its troops came under “intense fire” from
Armenian troops stationed in Syunik province.
Russia dispatched a thousands-strong peacekeeping contingent
to the region in 2020 as part of a deal to end weeks of fighting
that killed thousands and saw Azerbaijan make significant
territorial gains.
Moscow is an ally of Armenia through a mutual self-defence
pact, but also strives for good relations with Baku. The latest
stand-off has been seen as a key test of Moscow’s ongoing
influence in the region as it wages its own war in Ukraine.
The latest stand-off is over control of the Lachin Corridor
– the only road route linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijanis claiming to be environmental protesters have
been blocking the route since the end of last year, resulting in
what Armenia calls a humanitarian crisis.
Baku denies those claims, saying essential supplies can get
into the territory and has defended the protesters as rallying
against legitimate environmental concerns. Yerevan calls them
government-backed agitators.