“New clashes on Armenian-Azerbaijani border jeopardize weekend talks on Nagorno-Karabakh”

New clashes broke out between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers on the border on Friday, Yerevan announced.

Gunfire broke out on the border yesterday as well, jeopardizing the weekend talks between the leaders of the two countries on Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at war twice over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mainly by Armenians. It happened for the second time in 2020, when approximately 6,500 people lost their lives in the conflict. Since this conflict, there have been occasional skirmishes on the border between the two countries.

The Ministry of Defense of Armenia announced that this morning the armed forces of Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire in the Sotka region using drones.

The ministry said that two Armenian soldiers were injured, one of whom is in a critical condition.

One Azerbaijani soldier was killed and four Armenian soldiers were wounded in border clashes on Thursday, according to reports from both countries.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan are going to meet in Brussels on Sunday. The negotiations will be chaired by the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.

Aliyev and Pashinyan have also agreed to meet the leaders of France and Germany at the summit of the European Political Community in Chisinau on June 1.

Pashinyan on Thursday criticized Azerbaijan’s efforts to downplay the importance of the upcoming talks, but stressed that he still wants to participate in them.

“I have not changed my mind about going to Brussels,” said the Armenian Prime Minister, adding that the chances of signing a peace treaty with Azerbaijan at this meeting are slim.