The European Union deplores the latest armed clashed between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, and is calling on the sides to show restraint and commit to the peaceful settlement, EU spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Nabila Massrali said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th April, 2023) The European Union deplores the latest armed clashed between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, and is calling on the sides to show restraint and commit to the peaceful settlement, EU spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Nabila Massrali said on Wednesday.
At least seven troops were killed on Tuesday in a cross-border shootout between Armenia and Azerbaijan that took place near the mountain road that links Armenia to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, according to Yerevan and Baku. The two South Caucasus nations accused each other of shooting first.
"The EU deplores the armed clashes that yesterday led to several Armenian and Azerbaijani servicemen being killed or injured on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the area of Tegh ... We renew our calls for restraint and for the settlement of all disputes by peaceful means," Massrali said in a statement, adding that the bloc would continue to support efforts aimed at the settlement of the dispute at the highest level and through the EU mission in Armenia.
The spokesperson urged the sides to respect previous commitments reached between the leadership of the two countries and intensify negotiations on the delimitation of the shared border.
In September 2022, a new outbreak of hostilities between Yerevan and Baku broke out in a border area unrelated Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of shelling and reported losses in their ranks. In December 2022, the Lachin corridor, the only road that links Armenia to the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, was blocked by a group of Azerbaijanis described by Baku as environmental activists.
Yerevan and Baku started peace agreement negotiations last year. At the beginning of February 2023, Yerevan received new peace treaty proposals from Azerbaijan and started to examine them. In the meantime, the UN's main judicial body ruled in February that Azerbaijan must ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin Corridor. Armenia, in turn, demanded that Azerbaijan "cease its orchestration and support" of the blockade.
