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Sporadic armed clashes across Azerbaijan-Armenian front line which began mid-January have continued albeit with less intensity since the beginning of February, International Crisis Group said in its statement distributed March 3.
The statement noted several reports of troop deaths from both sides.
International Crisis Group emphasizes that the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick cited progress in negotiations on the resolution of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The situation has remained tense on the contact line since mid-January. Armenian Armed Forces have violated the ceasefire intensively.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
Trend.az
