Armenia considers Russian army outposts along Azerbaijan border

After three Armenian soldiers were killed along the border with Azerbaijan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said he could consider stationing outposts of Russian border guards along the entire stretch of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Both Armenia and Azerbaijan had accused each other of breaking the Russian brokered ceasefire as Armenia said three soldiers were killed and four injured and Azerbaijan declared two of its troops were wounded in the cross-border firing along the Kelbajar sector of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border.

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Azerbaijan and Armenia were involved in a clash last year over the Nagorno-Karabakh region leading to the deaths of several civilians and soldiers.

Azerbaijan's defence ministry said Armenia bears full responsibility for the escalation of tensions as both sides engaged in a war of words amid a fragile ceasefire in place.

The latest incident comes amid tensions in the border areas. PM Pashinyan said he will discuss the issue with Russian officials and wanted to "carry out work on demarcation and delimitation of the border without the risk of military clashes." 

Kremlin is yet to issue a statement, however, it said it was in contact with PM Yerevan.

Russia has a military base in Armenia with nearly 2,000 troops deployed to ensure the ceasefire holds between the two warring neighbours.

Last year, Azerbaijan troops had captured vast swathes of territory as the clashes turned into full-scale conflict leading to the intervention of the US, France and Russia.

The conflict which lasted for six weeks from September to November led to a ceasefire as the Armenian government ceded territories it had controlled for decades as citizens protested.

Both countries were involved in a conflict in the early 1990s after the collapse of the former Soviet Union as ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan leading to the death of at least 30,000 people during clashes.

(With inputs from Agencies)