Tweet
Agence France Presse
January 23, 2015 Friday 9:59 AM GMT
Azerbaijan forces kill two Armenian troops in new border clash: Yerevan
Yerevan, Jan 23 2015
Azerbaijani troops on Friday killed two Armenian soldiers in a border
clash, Armenia said, threatening the shaky peace in the arch-foes'
conflict over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh.
"Azerbaijani commandos on Friday morning attacked the Armenian army's
positions in the north-eastern sector of the border," Armenia's
defence ministry said in a statement.
"The fighting lasted for half an hour, resulting in deaths of two
Armenian servicemen, Lieutenant Karen Galstian and Private Artak
Sargsian," the ministry added.
"The enemy troops were pushed back, suffering injuries."
Azerbaijan is locked in a decades-long conflict with Armenia over
Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan.
Sparking fears of a fresh escalation, clashes between Azerbaijani and
Armenian forces intensified in January following an unprecedented
spiral of violence last year.
Four Armenian soldiers were reported killed this month in similar
incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and along the Karabakh
frontline.
Ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized control of
Karabakh during a 1990s war that left some 30,000 dead.
Despite years of negotiations, the two sides have not yet signed a
final peace deal, with Karabakh internationally recognised as part of
Azerbaijan.
Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state budget,
has threatened to take back the region by force if negotiations fail
to yield results.
Armenia, which is heavily armed by Russia, says it could crush any offensive.
mkh-im/am/yad
January 23, 2015 Friday 9:59 AM GMT
Azerbaijan forces kill two Armenian troops in new border clash: Yerevan
Yerevan, Jan 23 2015
Azerbaijani troops on Friday killed two Armenian soldiers in a border
clash, Armenia said, threatening the shaky peace in the arch-foes'
conflict over the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh.
"Azerbaijani commandos on Friday morning attacked the Armenian army's
positions in the north-eastern sector of the border," Armenia's
defence ministry said in a statement.
"The fighting lasted for half an hour, resulting in deaths of two
Armenian servicemen, Lieutenant Karen Galstian and Private Artak
Sargsian," the ministry added.
"The enemy troops were pushed back, suffering injuries."
Azerbaijan is locked in a decades-long conflict with Armenia over
Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan.
Sparking fears of a fresh escalation, clashes between Azerbaijani and
Armenian forces intensified in January following an unprecedented
spiral of violence last year.
Four Armenian soldiers were reported killed this month in similar
incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and along the Karabakh
frontline.
Ethnic Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan seized control of
Karabakh during a 1990s war that left some 30,000 dead.
Despite years of negotiations, the two sides have not yet signed a
final peace deal, with Karabakh internationally recognised as part of
Azerbaijan.
Baku, whose military spending exceeds Armenia's entire state budget,
has threatened to take back the region by force if negotiations fail
to yield results.
Armenia, which is heavily armed by Russia, says it could crush any offensive.
mkh-im/am/yad