Armenian Military Official Says Soldier Shot Dead From 'Azerbaijani Side'

An Armenian soldier was allegedly shot dead by gunfire from the Azerbaijani side on July 28, Armenian Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Ovannisyan said in a Facebook post.

He said “contract serviceman Arman Bulgardaryan, born in 1995” was shot from the “Azerbaijani side” in the northeastern part of the border of Armenia.

No further details were provided.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have feuded over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.

It declared independence from Azerbaijan amid a 1988-94 war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.

Since 1994, Nagorno-Karabakh has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces that Baku says include troops supplied by Armenia.

The breakaway region's claim to independence has not been recognized by any country.

Internationally mediated negotiations involving the OSCE's Minsk Group have helped forge a cease-fire in the region, which is not always honored.

But the negotiations have failed to produce a lasting settlement of the conflict.

Based on reporting by Interfax and News Armenia