The two countries exchanged numerous allegations of ceasefire violations in February and March on the border near troubled Nagorny-Karabakh, a region in Azerbaijan with a largely ethnic Armenian population, but previous OSCE inspections this year in the conflict zone registered no violations of the ceasefire regime.
Russia's defense minister, Sergei Ivanov, said May 31 that the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be resolved by the two countries themselves and not by third parties. He added that peacekeepers could be deployed in the conflict zone.
Ivanov's remarks came a day after Armenia and Azerbaijan both claimed fatalities following a shootout between soldiers on the border near Nagorny Karabakh and accused each other of breaching a 1994 ceasefire agreement.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorny Karabakh first erupted in 1988, when the region claimed independence from Azerbaijan to join Armenia. Over 30,000 people were reported dead on both sides between 1988 and 1994, and over 100 others died after a ceasefire was concluded in 1994, leaving Nagorny Karabakh in Armenian hands, but tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia have persisted.
