Azerbaijan Accuses Armenians After Two Soldiers Killed

Azerbaijan has accused ethnic Armenian forces of killing two Azerbaijani soldiers in Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed Armenian-controlled separatist territory inside Azerbaijan.

But a spokesman for forces of the ethnic Armenian separatists in Karabakh has denied involvement.

Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman Teimur Abdullayev was quoted as saying a soldier and an officer of the Azerbaijani army were shot dead on February 5 and accused the Armenian side of violating a cease-fire agreement.

Senor Hasratian, the spokesman for the Armenian separatist army, called the Azerbaijani statement “disinformation.”

A truce between the sides was signed in 1994 but sporadic incidents of violence occur in the region.

Years of negotiations involving envoys from France, Russia, and the United States have failed to result in a settlement of the conflict.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa