On Thursday, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said Armenia artificially escalates tensions in Karabakh by shelling military positions on the border.

"By systematically shelling our positions, the Armed Forces of Armenia are provoking our army to return fire, thereby trying to form the wrong opinion among the representatives of the civil mission of the European Union operating on the conditional border, as well as attempting to escalate tension in the region artificially," a statement by the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry read.

The statement said positions of the Azerbaijan army on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border, particularly in the Karabakh region, were fired 23 times between 9:30 p.m. local time (06:30 p.m.GMT) on Wednesday and 4:15 a.m. local time (01:15 a.m. GMT) on Thursday.

"We once again state that the military-political leadership of the official Iravan bears all responsibility for the provocations that Armenia may commit, and they're resulting in human casualties," the statement noted.

Tensions in the Karabakh region flared up once again as at least two Azerbaijani soldiers were killed last Sunday when Armenian forces opened fire on them after Azerbaijani troops attempted to stop and check vehicles carrying out "illegal military transports" through the Khankendi-Khalfali-Turshsu road, where a Russian peacekeeping contingent has been temporarily stationed since the aftermath of the fall 2020 conflict in the Karabakh region and a January 2021 pact with Baku and Yerevan.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation. The Russian-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.