Agence France Presse
Oct 24 2009

Azerbaijani killed in fighting near Karabakh: reports

BAKU, Oct 24 2009

An Azerbaijani soldier has been killed in fighting with Armenian
forces near the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh, news agencies
reported Saturday.

The Trend and ANS Press agencies reported that the soldier was killed
Friday in fighting in Azerbaijan’s Aghdam region, on the de facto
border with Karabakh. Officials with Azerbaijan’s defence ministry
could not be reached to confirm the reports.

Tensions over Karabakh have heightened in recent weeks amid efforts by
Armenia and Turkey, a close ally of Azerbaijan, to establish
diplomatic ties and reopen their border after decades of hostility.

Azerbaijan fears the efforts will lead Ankara to soften its
longstanding support for Baku in the dispute.

Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of Nagorny
Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in the early
1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.

The two former Soviet republics have cut direct economic and transport
links and failed to negotiate a settlement on the region’s status.

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are spread across a ceasefire line in
and around Nagorny Karabakh, often facing each other at close range,
and shootings are common.

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