Armenia and Azerbaijan on June 21 clashed for the second time in roughly three days on the Nagorno-Karabakh frontline, RFE/RL reports. The skirmish, which allegedly killed one Azerbaijani soldier, comes after a June 18-19 gunfire exchange that killed four Armenian soldiers and one Azerbaijani soldier -- the worst violation of the Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire since 2008.
Mediators pleaded with both sides to tone down the aggressive rhetoric that has accompanied the violence, which started the day after the conclusion of a St. Petersburg summit between Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
As always, Baku and Yerevan have pointed the finger of blame at each other for the post-summit violence. Both sides argue that the other side is not happy with the outcome of the talks in Russia.
Moscow was the only summit participant who spoke about some form of progress; Baku and Yerevan reported no headway. The most contentious issues remain defining the status of Nagorno Karabakh and the gradual return of territory bordering Karabakh to Azerbaijani control.
Giorgi Lomsadze is a journalist based in Tbilisi, and author of Tamada Tales.
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