Tuesday April 11, 2023
Mutual finger pointing More dead in fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan
The Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh.
(Foto: picture alliance/dpa/Le Pictorium Agency via ZUMA)
Violent clashes broke out again along the only road between Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Armenia and Azerbaijan mourn deaths. The exact number of victims is still unclear.
According to unanimous information, there were clashes between troops from the Caucasus republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan, killing seven on both sides. The governments in Yerevan and Baku blamed each other for the incident near the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Armenian Defense Ministry said Azerbaijani troops opened fire on Armenian soldiers engaged in construction work. The Azerbaijani defense ministry said its troops had been fired upon by Armenian soldiers.
In the evening reported the Armenian Ministry of Defense a calming of the situation and warned against speculation. At the same time, it reported four dead and six injured. That too Ministry of Azerbaijan reported that the situation had eased. It was also announced by three soldiers.
The clashes occurred near the controversial Latschin corridor. This is the only road connection between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Tensions had already increased in December when Azerbaijanis blocked the route. The demonstrators claimed to be climate protection activists. Armenia, on the other hand, saw the Azerbaijani government as the mastermind. The latter, in turn, described the demonstrators’ concerns as justified, since Armenians were mining illegally in the area. Previously, there had been heavy fighting in September with numerous deaths.
According to international opinion, Nagorno-Karabakh, which is predominantly inhabited by Armenians, belongs to Azerbaijan, from which it has renounced. The conflict culminated several times in armed conflicts between the two former Soviet republics. Most recently, both Russia and the United States had tried to mediate between the two countries. Russia is allied with Armenia through a mutual self-defense pact, but is also trying to maintain good relations with the government in Baku. The recent dispute is seen as an important indicator of how great Moscow’s influence in the region still is.
Those: ntv.de
jwu/rts/dpa
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