TENSION BETWEEN AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA GROWS

Today’s Zaman
March 29 2010
Turkey

Tensions rose between Armenia and Azerbaijan yet again after the
Armenian army shot and killed two Azerbaijani soldiers over the
past 24 hours. Peace negotiations to find a lasting solution to the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem have significantly damaged, with Azerbaijan
having repeatedly vowed this month to use a military strike against
Armenia. According to the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense, the Armenian
side shot dead one Azerbaijani soldier in the half-occupied Agdam
province on Sunday, infringing a cease-fire between the two countries.

Another Azerbaijani soldier was shot and killed by the Armenian army
in bordering Beylegan province. Despite a Russian-brokered cease-fire
keeping the peace in Nagorno-Karabakh since 1994, analysts claim the
conflict is not "frozen" as Armenia continues to break the cease-fire
every day. The growing number of dead Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers
reportedly saw a marked increase over the past two months.

Although the presidents of both Azerbaijan and Armenia have
participated in a record number of bilateral meetings over the past
year, tensions on the battle line between the two countries continues
to increase every month.

Following his meeting with the American co-chair of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, Robert
Bradtke, on Saturday in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, Armenian
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said Armenia will release one
Azerbaijani citizen its soldiers captured on March 3 and hand over the
corpses of two Azerbaijani soldiers whom its soldiers shot dead a month
ago. The defense minister said the transfer will be carried out by
the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

Speaking about the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, Ohanyan said Armenia
always supports a peaceful resolution to the conflict. "However,
repeated military statements by the Azerbaijani side and the increasing
armament of Azerbaijan halt the peace process and increase tension in
the region," the Armenian defense minister said. He also added that
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should not be regarded as a related
process to the reconciliation process between Turkey and Armenia.