Armenian Defense Ministry's press secretary has blamed Azerbaijani officials for the latest deadly clashes near Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Artsrun Hovannisian told RFE/RL on August 1 that the number of Azerbaijani soldiers killed in the overnight shootings was much higher than what Baku said.
Media reports in Azerbaijan said earlier that up to nine Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and five were injured during the clashes with Armenian troops.
Hovannisian denied Baku's claim that Armenian "sabotage groups" attempted to break into Azerbaijani territory overnight.
James Warlick, the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, which is trying to mediate a settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, has expressed concerns over "the upsurge in violence" near the region.
Warlick wrote on his Twitter account on August 1, "the cease-fire needs to be respected."
On July 31, Nagorno-Karabakh authorities said that two of its troops were killed in an attack by Azerbaijani troops.
Also on July 31, Azerbaijan said two of its soldiers were killed on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border in separate clashes.
RFE/RL correspondents reported on August 1 that gunfire was heard from both sides.
