UPDATE - Armenia says 49 soldiers killed in Azerbaijan border clashes

UPDATES WITH COMMENT OF EU FOREIGN POLICY CHIEF; NUMEROUS OTHER EDITS

By Emre Gurkan Abay

YEREVAN, Armenia (AA) – Armenia’s prime minister on Tuesday said 49 Armenian soldiers have been killed in the latest border flare-up with Azerbaijan.

The Defense Ministry numbers are “not the final figure,” Nikol Pashinyan told lawmakers in parliament, adding that updates will be shared later.

Pashinyan said the intensity of fighting had subsided by Tuesday morning and Armenian authorities are assessing the situation.

The premier said Armenia’s Security Council convened late last night and held consultations until morning.

Pashinyan also spoke to Iran’s President Ibrahim Raisi about the developing border situation, according to a government statement.

Meanwhile, the EU called on both sides to stop hostilities and return to negotiations.

"Last night’s armed confrontations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is a dangerous escalation that needs to stop. We urge immediate cessation of hostilities and return to the negotiation table. EU is in touch with both sides to contribute to de-escalation,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Twitter.

Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of “large-scale provocations,” saying saboteurs planted mines and Armenian forces carried out “intensive” firing on Azerbaijani positions.

These actions by Armenian forces led to the confrontation, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said, adding that there were casualties on both sides.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

In 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia, and the fighting ended with a deal brokered by Russia.

* Writing by Gozde Bayar