Azerbaijan captures six Armenian soldiers as border dispute simmers
- The servicemen are accused of trying to cross into Azeri territory, but Armenia’s defence ministry said they were doing engineering work in the border area
- Armenia earlier this month accused Azerbaijan of sending troops across the border, highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Azerbaijan captured six Armenian servicemen in the early hours of Thursday morning, the defence ministries of both countries said, the latest twist in a simmering border dispute.
The Azeri defence ministry accused the Armenian soldiers of trying to cross into Azeri territory. Armenia’s defence ministry said its soldiers had been carrying out engineering work in the border area of its eastern Gegharkunik region, which neighbours Azerbaijan.
“Necessary measures are being taken to return the captured servicemen,” Armenia’s defence ministry said.
The United States said it was concerned by the border incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the detention of several Armenian soldiers, urging both sides to “urgently and peacefully” resolve the issue.
04:27
Despite ceasefire, Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal causes further pain for Armenians
In a statement, the US State Department said it considered any movements along the non-demarcated areas of Azerbaijan and Armenia border to be “provocative and unnecessary”.