Caucasus border dispute

This item appears on page 4 of the September 2020 issue.

Military clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia began on July 11 along a disputed border region, Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in the deaths of 11 Azeri troops and at least two Armenian troops. Both sides have accused the other of shelling towns near the border, with at least one Azeri civilian killed.

The two countries engaged in a war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory in the 1990s, when both countries achieved independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. The territory is recognized as part of Azerbaijan by the UN but is autonomously controlled by ethnic Armenians.