The Armenian Defense Ministry said that its troops came under Azerbaijani fire late in the afternoon as they fortified their positions outside Tegh, a border village in southeastern Syunik province. It said they returned fire.
The skirmishes left four Armenians soldiers dead and six others wounded, according to the ministry.
Tegh residents told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the fist exchange of automatic gunfire lasted for about 30 minutes.
The Defense Ministry said about an hour later that the fighting resumed and intensified, with Azerbaijani forces using mortars. “Armenian army units are taking necessary defensive measures,” it said in a short statement.
An RFE/RL reporter heard explosions and automatic gunfire when he approached Tegh around that time.
In another update, the ministry said the situation in the area was “relatively stable” as of 8:30 p.m. local time.
The Azerbaijani military blamed the Armenian side for the deadly fighting and said it is taking “adequate retaliatory measures.” It acknowledged three combat deaths in the Azerbaijani army ranks.
Fighting was also reported from another section of the long border. The authorities in Yerevan did not confirm those reports.
Residents of Sotk, a border village in Armenia’s eastern Gegharkunik province, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that workers of a nearby gold mine were evacuated following cross-border fire from Azerbaijani army positions. One of those workers, who did not want to be identified, confirmed the information.
The clashes began in a border area where the Azerbaijani army took up new positions on March 30 after advancing into what Yerevan regards as sovereign Armenian territory adjacent to the Lachin corridor connecting Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) claimed on April 1 that the situation in the area “improved significantly” after negotiations held by Armenian and Azerbaijani officials. Tegh residents countered, however, that the Azerbaijani troops did not retreat from any of their newly occupied positions.
The Armenian opposition blamed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government for Baku’s fresh territorial gains. Opposition leaders said the Armenian army or border guards should have taken up positions along the Armenian side of the Tegh border section ahead of the Azerbaijani advance.
Many Tegh residents also blamed the government for what they see as a serious threat to their security. Tuesday’s border clashes heightened their fears.
“Don’t they up there [in government] realize that this village is in serious trouble?” said one local woman. “Are they asleep in the [defense] ministry? … Our hearts are pounding. How can we live like this?”
Commenting on the situation around Tegh, Pashinian said on April 6 that Armenia should continue to exercise caution and avoid another escalation. He reaffirmed his commitment to his “peace agenda.”
