On Sunday, March 16, Azerbaijan and Armenia exchanged accusations regarding an alleged border shelling incident.
Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense claimed that at around 9:45 AM, its army positions on the southeastern section of the border came under attack. Armenia’s Ministry of Defense, however, denied the allegations, stating that the claims were unfounded.
“It is important to emphasize that the office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia has proposed establishing a joint Armenian-Azerbaijani mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations and related incidents. However, Azerbaijan has yet to respond to this proposal,” the statement read.
The incident occurred just days after both countries separately announced their agreement on a draft peace treaty aimed at resolving their long-standing conflict.
Tensions between Baku and Yerevan have persisted since 1991 when Armenian forces occupied Karabakh—an internationally recognized part of Azerbaijan—along with seven surrounding districts. Most of the territory was retaken by Azerbaijan during the 44-day Karabakh war in 2020, and in September 2023, Baku established full sovereignty over the region.
