This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/world/europe/nagorno-karabakh-fighting-azerbaijan-armenia.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Fighting Between Azerbaijan and Armenia Flares Up in Nagorno-Karabakh Fighting Between Azerbaijan and Armenia Flares Up in Nagorno-Karabakh
(about 4 hours later)
MOSCOW — Heavy fighting broke out Saturday in Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian separatist enclave in Azerbaijan and a longtime ethnic tinderbox in the South Caucasus region.MOSCOW — Heavy fighting broke out Saturday in Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian separatist enclave in Azerbaijan and a longtime ethnic tinderbox in the South Caucasus region.
As the fighting escalated through the day it was unclear whether the use of tanks, artillery and aircraft was merely a flare-up in a long conflict or the start of a new phase.As the fighting escalated through the day it was unclear whether the use of tanks, artillery and aircraft was merely a flare-up in a long conflict or the start of a new phase.
Artillery barrages began early Saturday, threatening a breakdown of a fragile 1994 truce agreement. Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Soviet republics, blamed each other for the violence. Artillery barrages began early Saturday, threatening a breakdown of a fragile 1994 truce agreement. Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Soviet republics, blamed each other for the violence. By evening, both sides spoke of dozens of dead, and Azerbaijan claimed that its military had advanced to capture territory, a move that seemed to bode ill for a quick resolution.
The ethnic war that began in the late Soviet period between Armenians and Azerbaijanis claimed more than 20,000 lives and ended in a cease-fire but no final settlement. The region became one of the so-called frozen conflict zones in the vast area of the former Soviet Union, with sporadic episodes of violence since the 1994 truce.The ethnic war that began in the late Soviet period between Armenians and Azerbaijanis claimed more than 20,000 lives and ended in a cease-fire but no final settlement. The region became one of the so-called frozen conflict zones in the vast area of the former Soviet Union, with sporadic episodes of violence since the 1994 truce.
In response to the fighting, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called for an immediate cease-fire on Saturday and urged both sides to show restraint. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, through the so-called Minsk Group led by France, Russia and the United States, called an emergency session to discuss the matter. In response to the fighting, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called for an immediate cease-fire on Saturday and urged both sides to show restraint. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, through the so-called Minsk Group led by France, Russia and the United States, condemned the violence.
The separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh, whose principal backers are Armenia and Armenian diaspora groups in Southern California and elsewhere, characterized the fighting as the first time since 1994 that all types of heavy weaponry was being used along the front line. The separatist government of Nagorno-Karabakh, whose principal backers are Armenia and Armenian diaspora groups in Southern California and elsewhere, characterized the fighting as the first time since 1994 that all types of heavy weaponry were being used along the front line.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry said Azerbaijan launched a surprise attack using tanks and aircraft around 2 a.m. after artillery barrages intended to soften Armenia’s defenses. Armenia’s Defense Ministry said Azerbaijan launched a surprise attack using tanks and aircraft around 2 a.m. after firing artillery barrages.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense, in turn, blamed the Armenian military for the fighting. It said that its soldiers and some residential areas near the front were struck by “intensive fire” early Saturday, and that its forces had taken “urgent measures” to respond.Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense, in turn, blamed the Armenian military for the fighting. It said that its soldiers and some residential areas near the front were struck by “intensive fire” early Saturday, and that its forces had taken “urgent measures” to respond.
The Nagorno-Karabakh military said it had shot down one of Azerbaijan’s helicopters, but Azerbaijan’s military denied this report. Later Saturday, the ministry issued a statement saying it had recaptured “strategic heights” and a village to prevent attacks from those locations on its territory. It implied that Azerbaijan’s forces were moving beyond defensive positions and into Nagorno-Karabakh, a potentially destabilizing development in the volatile South Caucasus.
By midday, the fighting appeared to have expanded beyond the Nagorno-Karabakh separatist forces and Azerbaijan’s military to include Armenia’s army. “There’s real doubt whether Putin will let that stand,” Cliff Kupchan, chairman of the Eurasia Group, a geopolitical risk analysis company, said in a telephone interview. “If we see this last a few days, then we have a new Nagorno-Karabakh war.”
“The enemy, using tanks, artillery and aviation made attempts to get deep into the defense lines of the Nagorno-Karabakh Army of Defense and capture tactical positions,” Armenia’s Ministry of Defense said in a statement. The Azerbaijani statement said that more than 100 Armenian soldiers had been killed Saturday and that six tanks and 15 artillery pieces had been destroyed. It said 12 Azerbaijanis had “become shahids,” meaning they died the death of Muslim martyrs.
Interfax, the Russian news agency, cited a spokesman for Armenia’s Ministry of Defense, Artsrun Ovannisyan, as saying Armenian units were engaged in the fighting. “Now the initiative in combat is in our hands,” Mr. Ovannisyan said. The Nagorno-Karabakh military said it had shot down one of Azerbaijan’s helicopters, a claim Azerbaijan first denied and then confirmed. An official in Nagorno-Karabakh told Russian news media that 40 to 50 Azerbaijani soldiers had been killed in the fighting.
Adding to the dangers of the venomous, local ethnic hatreds between Christian Armenians and Muslim Azerbaijanis, the Nagorno-Karabakh region, an eerily beautiful mountain highland, sits on a crossroads where it is buffeted by the combustible politics of the Middle East and the former Soviet republics. Adding to the dangers of the venomous, local ethnic hatreds between Christian Armenians and Muslim Azerbaijanis, the eerily beautiful mountain highland location of the Nagorno-Karabakh region places it on a crossroads where it is buffeted by the combustible politics of the Middle East and the former Soviet republics.
Russia and Turkey, the most important rival powers in the South Caucasus, had in recent years cooperated, however tentatively, in tamping down tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh, but they are now deeply at odds over the Syrian civil war. Russia has backed Armenia, while Turkey has backed Azerbaijan. Russia and Turkey, the most important rival powers in the South Caucasus, had in recent years tentatively cooperated in tamping down tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh, but they are now at odds over Syria’s civil war. Russia has backed Armenia, while Turkey has backed Azerbaijan.
Armenia has joined a Russian-backed economic bloc, the Customs Union, while Azerbaijan has aligned with Western governments and oil industry interests, keeping its distance from Moscow. Armenia has joined a Russian-backed economic bloc, while Azerbaijan has aligned with Western governments and oil industry interests, keeping its distance from Moscow.
The global oil market, as is so often the case, serves as another backdrop to the bloodshed. After a long oil boom, the drop in global prices for oil, the main source of revenue for Azerbaijan, has weakened its military, a possible factor in the outbreak of violence.The global oil market, as is so often the case, serves as another backdrop to the bloodshed. After a long oil boom, the drop in global prices for oil, the main source of revenue for Azerbaijan, has weakened its military, a possible factor in the outbreak of violence.
A flurry of American diplomacy failed to prevent the eruption of the latest fighting. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. met the leaders of the two countries, Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia, separately in Washington on Thursday on the sidelines of a nuclear security summit meeting. Mr. Biden urged them to find a peaceful solution to their dispute, the White House said.