CONFLICT AT AZERBAIJANI-ARMENIAN BORDER ESCALATES

Today’s Zaman
Feb 22 2010
Turkey

A conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh between
Armenia and Azerbaijan is not a conflict in abeyance as both the
exchange of gunfire and the death toll showed a steady increase
last week.

The conflict started to intensify along the border of Azerbaijan
and Armenia last week as the Armenian parliament started to debate
protocols on the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia.

On Feb. 18 three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and others injured
as a result of clashes in different locations, the Azerbaijani Defense
Ministry announced on Saturday. Although the ministry also said there
had been some losses on the Armenian side, the exact number was not
available. Between 90 and 120 people die along the front each year,
according to official statements. Analysts say the real number
is higher.

Meanwhile, top-level Turkish and Azerbaijani military officers
will start a military dialogue meeting today in which the prospects
of military cooperation will be discussed. The last such military
dialogue meeting was held in December 2008.