YEREVAN, Sept 14 (AFP): Armenia and Azerbaijan on Wednesday accused each other of violating a truce, after the worst clashes since a 2020 war put in doubt a halting peace process between the arch foes.
Russia announced on Tuesday that it had negotiated a ceasefire following fighting that killed at least 100 Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
But on Wednesday, Armenia's defence ministry said "the enemy re-launched its attack by using artillery, mortar, large-calibre firearms in the directions of Jermuk, Verin Shorzha" on the border.
"Despite a clear reaction from the international community over the situation, in fact Azerbaijan's military-political leadership continues its acts of aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia, targeting both military and civilian infrastructure," Wednesday's statement said.
The Azerbaijani defence ministry said Armenian forces "violated the ceasefire... and shelled Azerbaijani positions near Kelbajar and Lachin with mortars and artillery."
Tuesday's escalation came as Yerevan's closest ally Moscow is distracted by its six-month-old war against Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said that "Definitely, tensions persisted" Wednesday on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
He said a delegation of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) -- a Moscow-led grouping of ex-Soviet republics of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan-was due to Yerevan later on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Armenia's security council asked for military help from Moscow, which is obligated under the treaty to defend Armenia in the event of foreign invasion.
The Ukraine conflict changed the balance of force in the region as Russia-which deployed thousands of peacekeepers in the region afer the 2020 war-is increasingly isolated.
The European Union has since led the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalisation process, which involves peace talks, border delimitation and the reopening of transport links.
Analyst Gela Vasadze of the Georgian Strategic Analysis Centre said the latest escalation "has undone EU-led efforts to bring Baku and Yerevan closer to a peace deal."
"Brussels agreements are now practically nullified," he said, adding that the clashes "have further radicalised public opinion in both countries."
© 2026 - All Rights with The Financial Express
