UK Foreign Office Concerned about Rising Tensions

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom issued a press statement on August 4 regarding the recent upsurge of tension and violence along the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact as well as along the international Armenian-Azerbaijani border where peaceful civilians came under Azerbaijani sniper fire.

The statement said that the deteriorating situation on the borders resulted in an increasing numbers of fatalities and the use of more advanced military equipment, posing one of the most worrying violations of the ceasefire in its 20 year history.

A Foreign and Commonwealth Office Spokesperson stated: “The UK appeals to both Armenia and Azerbaijan to take immediate action to reduce tensions and respect the 1994 ceasefire agreement. We are deeply saddened by the continuing loss of life on all sides. Recalling the statement of Minister for Europe David Lidington on the 20th anniversary of the ceasefire in May, we urge the parties to work with the OSCE’s Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards a peace agreement.”

The Karabakh conflict has a long and complex history. In 1988, as the Soviet Union began showing signs of disintegration, the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, a historic Armenian land and an autonomous entity within the Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan petitioned Moscow asking to be reunited with Armenia. This legal call for self-determination set into motion a series of events that led to Azerbaijani attacks, pogroms, and military aggression, ultimately resulting in a bloody war that lasted until the Russian-brokered ceasefire in 1994.

The 20 years of the self-maintained ceasefire has been witness to sporadic clashes and tensions along the entire length of the Line of Contact. Ceasefire regime violations have been recorded over the past two decades - but this recent upsurge of clashes instigated by the Azerbaijani side seem to indicate that they are motivated to destabilize the tenuous situation on the ground. There was also a marked increase of Azerbaijani sniper fire aimed at peaceful Armenian villagers along the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border in the Tavush region of northeastern Armenia.