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ARMENIAN SOLDIER DIES IN NAGORNY KARABAKH CLASHES
Agence France Presse
March 2 2010
An Armenian soldier was killed in a clash with Azerbaijani forces
near the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh amid rising tensions
between the two foes, Armenia's defence ministry said on Tuesday.
"On Monday the enemy committed another ceasefire violation. One
serviceman was killed as a result," the ministry said in a statement,
naming him as 29-year-old junior sergeant Sargis Voskanian.
There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijani officials
Tensions over Karabakh have heightened in recent months amid efforts
by Armenia and Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan, to establish
diplomatic ties and reopen their border after decades of hostility.
Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of Nagorny
Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in the early
1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.
The two former Soviet republics have cut direct economic and transport
links and failed to negotiate a settlement on the region's status.
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are spread across a ceasefire line in
and around Nagorny Karabakh, often facing each other at close range,
and shootings are common.
Azerbaijan's defence minister last week warned warned that the threat
of conflict with Armenia is rising fast and that a "great war" is
inevitable if Armenian forces fail to pull out of the region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Agence France Presse
March 2 2010
An Armenian soldier was killed in a clash with Azerbaijani forces
near the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh amid rising tensions
between the two foes, Armenia's defence ministry said on Tuesday.
"On Monday the enemy committed another ceasefire violation. One
serviceman was killed as a result," the ministry said in a statement,
naming him as 29-year-old junior sergeant Sargis Voskanian.
There was no immediate comment from Azerbaijani officials
Tensions over Karabakh have heightened in recent months amid efforts
by Armenia and Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan, to establish
diplomatic ties and reopen their border after decades of hostility.
Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of Nagorny
Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in the early
1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.
The two former Soviet republics have cut direct economic and transport
links and failed to negotiate a settlement on the region's status.
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are spread across a ceasefire line in
and around Nagorny Karabakh, often facing each other at close range,
and shootings are common.
Azerbaijan's defence minister last week warned warned that the threat
of conflict with Armenia is rising fast and that a "great war" is
inevitable if Armenian forces fail to pull out of the region.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress