In a tragic turn, Armenia has announced that two of its soldiers lost their lives due to Azerbaijani forces' actions along the heavily guarded border between the two nations. This unfortunate event stands out as the first fatal incident since talks began last year, aiming to put an end to the 30-year-long conflict between the two sides.


Armenia's Defence Ministry revealed today that two soldiers fell victim to Azerbaijani gunfire along the heavily fortified border. This occurrence marks a grim milestone in the ongoing discussions seeking to bring an end to over three decades of intermittent warfare.

The Defence Ministry of Armenia conveyed through a statement on the Telegram messaging app that two soldiers lost their lives, while several others were injured at a combat post close to the southern Armenian village of Nerkin Hand.

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has persisted for more than three decades, primarily revolving around Nagorno-Karabakh. In September, Azerbaijan swiftly regained control over Karabakh through an offensive, leading to a mass exodus of almost all of the territory's Armenian population and reigniting efforts from both sides to formalise a peace treaty.

Though fatal clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been a sad reality for many years, the border has experienced a relative calm since negotiations commenced, with minimal significant confrontations following the collapse of Karabakh in September 2023.

Responding to this, Azerbaijan's border service claimed in a statement that they conducted a "revenge operation" following what they termed as a "provocation" by Armenian forces the day before. They cautioned of adopting more severe measures in response to any future provocations, holding Armenia's military and political leadership responsible for the incident.

According to Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry, Armenian forces purportedly fired at positions in Baku on Monday evening along a northwestern segment of the border, roughly 300 km from Nerkin Hand. However, Armenia's Defence Ministry denied any such incident.

However, the peace talks have recently reached a standstill, with both sides accusing each other of obstructing the diplomatic process.