Forces from Azerbaijan and Armenia exchanged gunfire using weapons including mortars and drones along their shared border on Friday, resulting in the deaths of one soldier from each side just two days before high-level talks regarding a long-term peace agreement.
Armenia: We Were Subjected to Mortar Fire
In the recent skirmishes, the Armenian defense ministry stated that its forces were targeted with mortar fire and small arms near the village of Sotk close to the border, adding that drones were also deployed. The ministry reported, "Following hostile fire, one person was killed in combat on the Armenian side and another was injured," and noted that "the exchange of fire ultimately stopped."
Azerbaijan: We Stopped a Drone Attack
Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani defense ministry announced that it had thwarted a drone attack launched by Armenia on its positions in the Kalbacar region on its side of the border. It later mentioned that one of its soldiers was killed and that Azerbaijani forces were in control of the situation.
Tensions have escalated as efforts intensify to urge the two sides to reach a peace agreement despite disagreements over border demarcation and other issues. The exchange of fire occurred for the second consecutive day ahead of a scheduled meeting on Sunday in Brussels between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. An Azerbaijani soldier was killed in the fighting on Thursday.
The two countries have fought two wars over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region, recognized as part of Azerbaijan but predominantly populated by ethnic Armenians. After a six-month conflict in 2020, Azerbaijan regained large territories it lost in a previous war that affected the region during the collapse of Soviet rule.
