Armenia, Azerbaijan border tensions escalate amid peace talks

Fragile peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan faces new challenges, with both nations reporting hostile military activities along their shared border

Armenia and Azerbaijan have exchanged accusations of initiating fire along their tense border amid ongoing peace talks.

Azerbaijan’s defense ministry reported that on April 1, Armenian forces opened fire with small arms at Azerbaijani army positions near the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. This region lies along the border with Iran and southern Armenia.

Armenia’s defense ministry refuted these claims, stating they “don’t correspond to reality” and accused Azerbaijan of being the first to fire, as reported by Agence France-Presse. According to Armenia, Azerbaijani forces targeted Armenian combat positions in Kut on April 1 and in Tegh on April 2.

The recent exchange of accusations follows a statement from Azerbaijan on Monday. Azerbaijan accused Armenia of concentrating manpower, armored vehicles, artillery, and heavy firepower near the border, observing “intensive movement of troops in different directions.”

Baku sternly warned that any military provocation by Armenian forces against Azerbaijan would be “resolutely suppressed” by the Azerbaijan army.

In response, Armenia denied these allegations. The Armenian defense ministry asserted that its military activities were confined to “purely defensive engineering works within its sovereign territory,” dismissing Azerbaijan’s claims as unfounded.

These incidents occur against the backdrop of a longstanding dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The two former Soviet republics have been involved in two wars over this territory, the most recent conflicts occurring in 2020 and the 1990s.

Despite this volatile history, both Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have recently expressed optimism about reaching a comprehensive peace agreement.

Source: Newsroom