Early on Tuesday, Armenia’s Defense Ministry reported the loss of four soldiers with another wounded in an exchange of fire along the border with Azerbaijan. The incident occurred near the village of Nerkin Hand in southeastern Syunik province, where Armenian outposts were targeted for approximately four hours before the gunfire ceased at 9:30 a.m., according to the ministry’s statement.
Khachatur Baghdasarian, the head of the village administration, recounted hearing intense gunshots around the same time. Azerbaijan confirmed its troops’ involvement in the early morning gunfire, stating that they had opened fire in response to alleged provocation from Armenian forces. Azerbaijan’s State Border Service claimed to have destroyed an Armenian army post that had reportedly fired upon its positions the previous evening, resulting in the injury of one Azerbaijani serviceman.
In turn, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry accused Armenian forces of violating the ceasefire in a different section of the border late on Monday, a claim refuted by Armenia’s Defense Ministry as “disinformation.” The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as Azerbaijani “provocation,” accusing Baku of seeking pretexts to escalate tensions and undermine international efforts toward peace talks between the two nations.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry’s statement cited recent bellicose rhetoric from Azerbaijani military and political leaders, as well as propaganda activities, as contributing factors to the escalation. It urged Azerbaijan to return to the negotiation table.
Tuesday’s clashes marked the most significant breach of the ceasefire along the border in the past five months. Despite relative calm in the area, concerns have been growing over the possibility of Azerbaijan launching an invasion of Armenia following its recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh in September.
The European Union has twice cautioned Azerbaijan against such military actions in response to renewed demands for Armenia to open an extraterritorial corridor to the Nakhichevan exclave. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan criticized an EU monitoring mission launched along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border a year ago, summoning the EU ambassador in Baku to express its objections.
Russia, which has also voiced opposition to the EU mission, expressed concern over the recent escalation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged both Armenia and Azerbaijan to exercise restraint and avoid provocative actions, emphasizing Russia’s close monitoring of the situation.
