The European Union called on the authorities of Azerbaijan and Armenia for a peaceful settlement in response to the renewed hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces on Wednesday, August 3.

“It is imperative to achieve de-escalation, fully respect the ceasefire and return to the negotiating table to find agreed solutions,” EU Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said in a statement..

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The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan said on Wednesday that Karabakh troops fired at the positions of its army in the Lachin region, which is under the supervision of Russian peacekeeping forces, killing an Azerbaijani conscript.

Later, the Azerbaijani army said that it carried out an operation called "

The army of the separatist state, for its part, accused Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire and killing two soldiers and injuring 14 more. Armenia called on the international community to help stop Azerbaijan's "

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Armenia accused Azerbaijan of seeking to make unilateral changes along the Lachin corridor linking Armenia and Karabakh.

Russia accused Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire and promised to stabilize the situation.

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It should be noted that the escalation occurred after Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday.

In July, Azerbaijan began the process of returning its people to lands reclaimed from Armenian separatists in what Baku calls the “Great Return.”.

The oil-rich country has vowed to repopulate lands reclaimed in a six-week war with Armenia in 2020 that has claimed more than 6,500 lives.. President Ilham Aliyev has promised for years to return the lands lost in the 1990s, and the first returns were a symbolic moment for Azerbaijan.