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The Armenian Defense Ministry claimed that Azerbaijan has violated the ceasefire and shelled its positions again.
“On July 30, between 11:20 and 11:30 (10: 20-10: 30 Moscow time), Azerbaijani units opened fire from sniper and other small arms at Armenian positions deployed in the Yeraskh sector (70 kilometers from Yerevan) “, reads the release of the military department.
It also noted that the fire was suppressed by retaliatory actions, there were no casualties.
Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan proposed to deploy Russian troops along the entire border with Azerbaijan.
“Taking into account the current situation, I think it makes sense to consider the issue of deploying strong points of Russian border guards along the entire length of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which will allow work on demarcation and delimitation of the border without the risk of military clashes,” he said at a government meeting, adding that he plans discuss this with Moscow.
Prior to the statement, three Armenian soldiers were killed in clashes with Azerbaijani forces on the border, Armenia’s government said, in the deadliest clash since the end of last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Armenia Defense Ministry said in a statement that a further four soldiers were wounded by gunfire.
Armenia’s defense ministry said an intense gun battle had taken place near the village of Sotk close to the border with Azerbaijan’s Kelbajar region, one of those Baku reclaimed after the war that claimed some 6,500 lives.
“The Azerbaijani side is deliberately escalating the situation as its forces remain illegally on Armenia’s sovereign territory,” Armenia’s foreign ministry said.
For its part, Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said Armenian forces had opened fire towards Azerbaijani positions in Kelbajar and said two of its soldiers were also injured in the clashes but that “there is no danger to their life.”
Meanwhile, Washington said in a statement that it “condemns the recent escalation of violence” and urged the two sides to “uphold their ceasefire by taking immediate steps to de-escalate the situation.”
“Continued tensions along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border underscore the fact that only a comprehensive resolution that addresses all outstanding issues can normalise relations between the two countries and allow the people of the region to live together peacefully,” it added.
The #Azerbaijan'i AF units violated the ceasefire at the north-eastern part of the #Armenia-Azerbaijan border around 03:40, July 28. Localized battles are taking place. Azerbaijan’s military-political leadership bears the entire responsibility of the escalation.
— MoD of Armenia 🇦🇲 (@ArmeniaMODTeam) July 28, 2021
Both countries blamed each other for the flare-up in tension along the border.
Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia are very tense, largely due to the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh.
In 2020, another round of military confrontation ended with the conclusion of an agreement beneficial for Azerbaijan: Armenia returned the Kelbajar, Lachin and Aghdam regions; Russian peacekeepers are stationed in the region.
After that, the demarcation of the borders began, resulting in another crisis, the peak of which fell in May.
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