Three Armenian soldiers were shot dead overnight on Friday on the contact line between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenia’s Defense Ministry said.
The servicemen were killed when as their car was riddled with bullets on the road between two borderline villages in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush province.
Armenia and the Armenian-backed breakaway region of Nagorny Karabakh have reported intensified ceasefire violations over the past few days, according to ArmeniaNow.com news portal .
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted in the late 1980s, when Nagorny Karabakh claimed independence from Azerbaijan. The war is estimated to have left more than 30,000 people dead on both sides between 1988 and 1994. The region has since remained under Armenian control.
Russia has been mediating peace talks for nearly two decades.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said recently the conflict could be settled anytime if the two states agreed to compromise.
