Azerbaijani soldier killed by Armenian forces

BAKU, Azerbaijan

An Azerbaijani soldier was killed when Armenian forces opened fire in the western Kalbajar border region, authorities said on Tuesday.

Armenian forces targeted Azerbaijani military positions, according to a statement by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

“As a result of relevant measures taken by the Azerbaijan Army Units, the opposing side was suppressed,” read the statement.

“The Armenian military-political leadership bears full responsibility for the occurred tension,” it added.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions

Their most recent clashes were in September 2020, during which Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades.

A Russia-brokered deal brought an end to 44 days of intense conflict in November 2020.