Azerbaijani soldier killed in attack by Armenian forces

BAKU, Azerbaijan

An Azerbaijani soldier was killed when "illegal Armenian armed detachments" opened fire in the border region of Lachin, authorities said on Wednesday.

They targeted Azerbaijani military positions early on Wednesday, according to a statement by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

An Azerbaijani soldier was killed due to a bullet wound, it added, noting that a Russian peacekeeping contingent had been deployed in the area where the attack took place.

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.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar in Ankara