Azerbaijan and Armenia trade blame at UN for border clashes

Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other at the UN Security Council Thursday of being responsible for border clashes that killed dozens of people in recent days.

The United Nations said, however, that it was unable to verify the allegations from either side.

"This aggression is the answer of Azerbaijan to the mediation efforts of the international community," Armenia's ambassador to the UN, Mher Margaryan, said.

Baku has opted for "a military solution to the conflict," the ambassador said.

"We are receiving reports that the fragile ceasefire is under threat. There are credible reports that Azerbaijan is planning yet another military offensive," Margaryan added.

A ceasefire was holding as of Thursday morning after two days of clashes, which threatened to undermine a peace process between the two rival countries.

Azerbaijan's ambassador to the UN, Yashar Teymur oglu Aliyev, rejected Armenia's "allegations," and accused Yerevan of wanting to "torpedo the fragile post conflict normalization process."

"Armenia is far from complying with its international obligations, and promoting peace, stability and cooperation in our region," the ambassador added.

Without observers on the ground, the United Nations said it was unable to determine the veracity of the competing allegations.

"Both countries have written to the secretary-general and to the Security Council alleging violations of the ceasefire brokered by Russia in 2020, and of their territorial integrity," UN under-secretary general for Europe and Central Asia, Miroslav Jenca, said.

But "the United Nations is not in a position to verify or confirm the specifics of these reports," he said, adding that "this week's events are also a stark reminder that tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan also have the potential to destabilize the region."

Several members of the Security Council welcomed the ceasefire between the two sides and called for dialogue.

"Military forces should now disengage to allow both parties to resolve all outstanding issues through peaceful negotiations," US representative Richard Mills said.