Official: Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijani gunfire along border
AP Worldstream; May 29, 2006
An Armenian soldier was killed by gunfire from Azerbaijan military
forces along the two countries’ northern border, an Armenian defense
official said Monday.
The 21-year-old soldier was shot Saturday evening near the town of
Noyemberyan, about 190 kilometers (120 miles) northeast of the
Armenian capital, Yerevan, and died en route to the hospital, Defense
Ministry spokesman Col. Seiran Shakhsuvaryan said.
Azerbaijani military officials could not be reached for comment.
Tensions between the two ex-Soviet republics remain high more than 12
years after open fighting over the disputed enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh ended with a cease-fire. The enclave is inside
Azerbaijan, but populated mostly by ethnic Armenians, who have run it
since 1994.
Since the breakdown in February of talks between both nations’
presidents to resolve the enclave’s status, border clashes have grown
more frequent and the lack of resolution has hindered development
throughout the strategic Caucasus region.
Armenian officials said two soldiers have been killed since the
beginning of the year and six wounded by Azerbaijani gunfire.