Armenia, Azerbaijan report deaths as tensions escalate

The 40-year-old Armenian serviceman, Aik Tevonian, was killed in fighting overnight in the northeastern border, Armenian defense ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said.

Two Armenian soldiers were wounded, he said.

An Azerbaijani army serviceman was also killed by Armenian sniper fire in the same area, according to local media reports.

The surge in the violence coincided with military drills launched by the Armenian military.

Armenia captured nearly one-fifth of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991.

While major hostilities ended with a cease-fire in 1994, no peace agreement has been signed despite talks mediated by Russia, France and the United States.

Armenia has yet to comply with four UN Security Council resolutions demanding immediate and unconditional withdrawal from the occupied Azerbaijani territory.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly warned that it reserves the right to use force to regain control of the territory.