Azerbaijani soldiers film Azeri military trucks moving through the town of Lachin on Tuesday. Azerbaijani soldiers and military trucks rolled into the final district given up by Armenia in a peace deal that ended weeks of fighting over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. Photo: AFP

Two Armenian soldiers were killed in border clashes with Azerbaijani forces on Monday, Yerevan said, in the latest military incident between the Caucasus rivals since 2020's war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The six-week war in autumn 2020 claimed about 6,500 lives and ended in November with a Russian-brokered cease-fire under which Armenia ceded territories it had controlled for decades.

Both Azerbaijan and Armenia have reported occasional shootouts in recent months along their shared border, sparking fears of a flare up in the territorial dispute. 

The Armenian defense ministry said Azerbaijani forces opened fire on their positions at 9:50 am (0550 GMT) on Monday from Nakhichevan, an Azerbaijani exclave in southwestern Armenia. 

An Armenian soldier was wounded in the stomach and died on the way to hospital, the statement said. 

According to the ministry, Azerbaijan "attempted another provocation" on Monday evening, opening fire and claiming the life of another Armenian solider. 

"This was the second Armenian soldier to die during this day," the ministry said, adding that the Azerbaijani side had also suffered losses. 

In a statement, Azerbaijan's defense ministry said the clashes were started by the Armenian side and denied any casualties among its military personnel. 

Tensions between the ex-Soviet rivals have been running high since May, after Armenia accused Azerbaijan of seizing pockets of territory.

AFP