Tensions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and “the line of contact” around Karabakh have been steadily rising despite major progress reportedly made in peace talks between Baku and Yerevan. The conflicting sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire on a virtually daily basis.
Baku regularly claims that Azerbaijani troops opened fire to stop Karabakh Armenian forces from fortifying their positions. The authorities in Stepanakert dismiss this as a smokescreen for justifying systematic Azerbaijani gunfire at Karabakh farmers and their tractors engaged in agricultural work. A senior Karabakh official said late last week that Baku may thus be plotting another upsurge in violence.
On Saturday, Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov ordered his troops stationed in and around Karabakh to be prepared to “thwart provocations at any moment.” Hasanov’s ministry issued on Tuesday a statement saying that they stand ready to do that.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry pointed, meanwhile, to the “fake news” about Armenian ceasefire violations spread by Baku. It said it has “extremely serious concerns that Azerbaijan’s military-political leadership … is preparing the ground for carrying out fresh aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“We call on the Russian peacekeeping forces to strictly monitor compliance with the ceasefire regime and investigate all incidents claimed by Azerbaijan, publicly presenting the actual state of affairs,” the ministry added in a statement.
It also renewed Yerevan’s calls for the dispatch of an international fact-finding mission to Karabakh and the launch of an internationally mediated dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry dismissed the Armenian claims and accused Armenia of meddling in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs.
“Instead of hindering peace efforts and making false statements, Armenia should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, of which the Karabakh region is a part,” it said.
Baku also demanded Yerevan “immediately withdraw Armenian army units from Azerbaijan’s territory.” Armenia has repeatedly denied any military presence in Karabakh.
The rising tensions contrast with a recent series of peace talks during which Armenia and Azerbaijan narrowed their differences on a bilateral peace treaty discussed by them.
The foreign ministers of the two states were due to meet in Washington on June 12 for further U.S.-mediated discussions on the treaty. The Foreign Ministry in Yerevan said last week that the meeting was postponed “at the request of the Azerbaijani side.”
Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonian on Tuesday linked the delay to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s latest visit to Baku.