Status: 04/11/2023 10:13 p.m
Several soldiers have been killed in renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two states accused each other of shooting first.
There have been clashes between troops from the Caucasus republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan, with deaths on both sides. Armenia spoke of four dead and six injured in their own ranks. On the Azerbaijani side, there was official talk of three deaths.
The governments in Yerevan and Baku blamed each other for the incident near the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Armenian Defense Ministry said Azerbaijani troops opened fire on Armenian soldiers engaged in construction work. The Azerbaijani defense ministry said its troops had been fired upon by Armenian soldiers.
Important road link
The clashes occurred near the controversial Latschin corridor. This is the only road connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Tensions had already increased in December when Azerbaijanis blocked the route.
At the time, the demonstrators claimed to be climate protection activists. Armenia, on the other hand, saw the Azerbaijani government as the mastermind. The latter, in turn, described the demonstrators’ concerns as justified, since Armenians were mining illegally in the area. Previously, there had been heavy fighting in September with numerous deaths.
According to international opinion, Nagorno-Karabakh, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians, belongs to Azerbaijan, from which it has renounced. The conflict culminated several times in armed conflicts between the two states. Most recently, both Russia and the United States had tried to mediate between the two countries.