Armenian, Azerbaijani troops fire at each other after relative quiet

In September, over 200 Armenian servicemen were killed in clashes with Azerbaijan.

 An Azeri soldier and police officer talk as they stand guard at the Kalbajar district, Azerbaijan, December 21, 2020 (photo credit: AZIZ KARIMOV/REUTERS)
An Azeri soldier and police officer talk as they stand guard at the Kalbajar district, Azerbaijan, December 21, 2020
(photo credit: AZIZ KARIMOV/REUTERS)

Shots were fired between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces along the border between the two countries on Friday and Saturday, according to the countries' defense ministries.

On Thursday, Azerbaijani forces fired toward Armenian forces along the border between the two countries using firearms and mortars, according to the Armenian Defense Ministry.

Then, on Friday, shots were fired by Armenian forces toward Azerbaijani forces in the town of Bezirkhana in western Azerbaijan, according to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

The Defense Ministry additionally claimed that Armenian militants located in an area where Russian peacekeepers are deployed fired towards Azerbaijani forces in the de-facto Artsakh Republic.

On Saturday, shots were fired by Azerbaijani forces toward civilians in the village of Khramort in the Artsakh Republic, injuring a 45-year-old, according to local officials.

 RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPING troops patrol near the border with Armenia, following a deal to end the military conflict between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, in 2020. (credit: REUTERS/FRANCESCO BREMBATI)
RUSSIAN PEACEKEEPING troops patrol near the border with Armenia, following a deal to end the military conflict between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, in 2020. (credit: REUTERS/FRANCESCO BREMBATI)

The Republic of Artsakh is a de facto republic internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. In 2020, the area where the republic is situated was recaptured by Azerbaijan.

Later in the day, Azerbaijani forces fired toward Armenia soldiers near the border between the two countries, with no injuries reported, according to the Armenian Defense Ministry. The Defense Ministry stressed that the situation along the border was "relatively stable."

Clashes come after deadly fighting earlier this year

In September, clashes broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with over 200 Armenian servicemen killed in just a few days of fighting.

In 2020, a war broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and nearby areas, ending just over a month later with a new line of contact drawn and Russian peacekeepers deployed along the line. Sporadic clashes have been reported repeatedly along the line since the war.

In the past year, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been holding peace talks to address tensions over the Nagorno-Karabakh area.