Fresh clashes near Karabakh: seven Armenians killed - report

Seven Armenian troops were killed in fresh clashes with Azerbaijani forces south of the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azeri Defense news website said.

Four Armenian soldiers died in clashes near the village of Ashagi Abdurrahmani in Fuzuli District and three others were killed in an area kalled Qorqan, the website said, citing a “senior” military source. 

Armenians are reinforcing their positions following a skirmish that left one Armenian soldier dead on January 20, the source said. 

An Azerbaijani army officer was killed by Armenian sniper fire in Tartar District, northeast of Nagorno-Karabakh, yesterday, the Defense Ministry said on its website.

Armenians captured nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally-recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts, in a war after the Soviet Union’s breakup in 1991.

More than 20,000 people were killed and nearly 1 million Azerbaijanis displaced before Russia brokered a ceasefire in 1994.

The sides have yet to sign a peace agreement despite more than 20 years of talks mediated by the US, Russia and France.

The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers are expected to meet in Paris today.

ANN.Az