Armenia, Azerbaijan trade accusations of firing at the border

Armenia and Azerbaijan on Sunday traded accusations of opening fire at their border near the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. This has led to fresh flare-up of tension between the two countries that battled each other in six-week war last year. The conflict claimed more than 6500 lives.

"Units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces attempted a provisional offensive in the eastern direction of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border," Armenia's defence ministry said in a statement.

It said that Armenian soldiers "prevented the enemy's attempt" and "an intensive exchange of fire began"

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Meanwhile, Azerbaijan said Armenian forces on Saturday night used "sniper rifles, grenade launchers, and various caliber weapons" against Azerbaijani positions in several districts.

The Azerbaijani ministry claims to have "taken adequate measures to put an end to the provocation"
Neither country reported fatalities.

On Saturday, Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said the only road connecting Armenia to the separatist enclave -- the Lachin Corridor -- was briefly closed due to an incident between the two sides.

Since last year's war, both Azerbaijan and Armenia have reported occasional exchanges of fire along their shared border, sparking fears of another flare up in their territorial dispute.

The war ended in November with a Russian-brokered ceasefire under which Armenia ceded territories it had controlled for decades to Turkish-backed Azerbaijan, but tensions remain high.

(With inputs from agencies)