Armenian Soldier Killed near Karabakh

Azerbaijani forces killed an Armenian soldier in the latest deadly clash near breakaway Nagorny Karabakh, the separatist region's defense ministry said Wednesday.

"Conscript Gor Kazaruyan, 21, was shot dead by enemy fire" on Tuesday at the Karabakh frontline's north-eastern sector, Karabakh's defense ministry said in a statement.

Last year, 15 people from both sides were reported to have been killed amid clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops along their border and in the disputed region of Nagorny Karabakh.

Armenia-backed separatists seized Karabakh from Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s that left some 30,000 dead, and no final peace deal has been signed since the ceasefire.

Azerbaijan has threatened to take back the disputed region by force if negotiations do not yield results, while Armenia has vowed massive retaliation against any military action.