Two soldiers were killed in fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two days before peace talks

Tensions between the warring nations in the Nagorno-Karabakh region have flared up again in recent days. The talks between the two countries are scheduled to take place in Brussels on Sunday.

According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, three soldiers were injured on Friday, one of whom died. The intensity of the fight will be reduced. Earlier, Armenia accused the neighboring country of firing heavy weapons near the village of Kut and deploying drones near the border village of Sotk.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan accused Armenian troops of “firing with mortars (…) against Azerbaijani positions” along the border. Later, the ministry confirmed that one of the Azerbaijani soldiers was killed.

The protest continued for the second consecutive day. On Thursday, an Azerbaijani soldier was killed and four Armenian soldiers were injured in a clash between the two forces.

Negotiations

Despite disagreements over borders and other issues, tensions are rising as efforts are being made to push the two adversaries to a peace deal. These talks are usually held under the influence of the European Union or Russia, which brokers the 2020 ceasefire. Last week, the foreign ministers of the two countries met in the US.

The two former Soviet states have been fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh border region for more than three decades. The area is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but mainly ethnic Armenians live there.

Last month, Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint at the start of a mountain pass known as the Lachin Corridor, the only link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia called it a “gross violation” of the 2020 ceasefire.