Armenia: Azerbaijan established control over territories

Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told the country's parliament on Wednesday that Azerbaijani forces had taken control of 10 square kilometres (almost four square miles) of Armenian territory after clashes between the two countries began on Tuesday morning.

"The enemy occupied 40 square kilometres of Armenian land last May and has occupied 10 square kilometres more now," Pashinyan told lawmakers, demanding that Azerbaijan's forces "leave our territories".

He also said that Armenia had appealed to the Moscow-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to help it restore its territorial integrity after Azerbaijani attacks.

According to Pashinyan, 105 Armenian soldiers had been killed since the beginning of new clashes between the two countries.

Azerbaijan reported 50 military casualties on the first day of fighting and said on Wednesday that two civilians had been injured since clashes erupted.

Long-running rivalry over Nagorno-Karabakh

The ethnically Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh was the site of two wars between Azerbaijan and Armenia in recent decades.

The territory was controlled by Armenian separatists for almost 30 years until Azerbaijan regained control of most of the territory after a six-week war in 2020 and a ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia.

According to sources, however, the latest attacks were not aimed at Nagorno-Karabakh, but at locations in Armenia.

Fighting between two former Soviet republics in the South Caucasus would risk dragging in Russia and Turkey. Armenia is in a military alliance with Moscow and home to a Russian military base, while Azerbaijan is allied with Turkey. The full-fledged war in the region can destabilize an important corridor for pipelines carrying oil and gas.

Sides trade blame

Meanwhile, Armenia and Azerbaijan continued to trade blame on Wednesday, accusing the other of launching fresh attacks amid renewed tensions in the region.

"In the direction of Djermuk, the enemy has deployed combat drones," Armenian Defense Ministry spokesperson Aram Torosyan said. There were also attacks north of that area, targeting the village of Werin Shorshah, he added.

Baku denied Yerevan's accusations and accused the Armenian military of firing on Azerbaijani positions in the Kalbajar region in western Azerbaijan. Armenian troops also used heavy weapons including howitzers, the Azerbaijani statement said.

dh/jcg (AFP, dpa, Reuters)