Twenty year old serviceman Suren Safaryan was killed Monday evening by Azerbaijani forces in Armenia’s eastern Gegharkunik region during a gunfire exchange on the border between the two countries, reports Armenian’s Defense Ministry.
Armenia’s Gegharkunik and Syunik regions, both of which have found themselves on the border with Azerbaijan since the end of the 2020 war, have seen escalating violence in the last twelve months.
“At roughly 6:10 pm, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire at Armenian positions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, particularly in the village of Norabak, in southern Gegharkunik Gegharkunik region,” the defense ministry statement reads. “As of 7:30 pm, the exchange of fire has stopped.”
The incident comes after the November 16 attack, which was the largest clash between the sides since last year’s war.
