An exchange of gunfire between Azerbaijani troops and ethnic Armenians in the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh has resulted in the deaths of at least five people. Two Azerbaijani servicemen were killed after Azerbaijani troops stopped a convoy that they suspected of carrying weapons from the region’s main town to outlying areas. The convoy had used an unauthorised road, according to Azerbaijan’s defence ministry. Armenia’s foreign ministry, on the other hand, said that three officials from the Karabakh interior ministry were killed. The convoy had been carrying documents and a service pistol, it said, dismissing Azerbaijani allegations that weapons were being carried as “absurd”.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been independent ex-Soviet states for over 30 years and have engaged in two wars over the control of Azerbaijan’s Armenian-populated enclave of Karabakh, which has claimed thousands of lives. A fragile truce has been in force between the neighbours since a 2020 war that left more than 6,500 dead and forced Armenia to cede territories it had controlled for decades.
Since mid-December, a group of self-styled Azerbaijani environmental activists has barred the only road linking Karabakh to Armenia, the Lachin corridor, to protest against what they say is illegal mining. Yerevan has accused Baku of creating a blockade there. Pro-Armenian separatist authorities blamed Sunday’s fire exchange on “a sabotage group of the Azerbaijani armed forces” that “opened fire on the car of a Passport and Visa Department of the police”.
Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said the incident “once again shows that Azerbaijan needs to create an appropriate checkpoint on the Lachin-Khankendi road”. Armenia’s foreign ministry said “sending an international fact-finding team to the Lachin corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh is becoming a vital necessity”.
The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh remains tense, with both sides accusing each other of violating the ceasefire agreement. The conflict has been ongoing for decades, with no clear resolution in sight. The international community has called for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but so far, no concrete steps have been taken to achieve this goal.
The recent exchange of fire highlights the fragility of the ceasefire agreement and the need for both sides to work towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict. The international community must continue to pressure both Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage in meaningful dialogue and find a way to end the violence once and for all. Until then, innocent civilians will continue to suffer, and the risk of further escalation will remain high.
It is important for both sides to recognize that there can be no military solution to this conflict. Only through dialogue and compromise can a lasting peace be achieved. The international community must support efforts to bring both sides to the negotiating table and help them find a way to resolve their differences peacefully.
In conclusion, the recent exchange of fire in Nagorno-Karabakh is a stark reminder of the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over this disputed territory. It is essential for both sides to work towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and for the international community to support these efforts. Only through dialogue and compromise can a lasting peace be achieved, and innocent civilians can be spared from further violence and suffering.