BAKU — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday warned that the deadliest fighting in years between Armenia and Azerbaijan risks "disastrous" consequences, as local clashes overshadowed her visit to the region.
An Armenian soldier was killed and two were wounded early Wednesday during an exchange of fire with Azeri troops, who attacked along the militarized cease-fire line in Nagorno-Karabakh, the disputed region's defense forces said in a statement on their website.
That brought the three-day death toll between the two countries to nine.
"There is no military solution to this conflict," Clinton said following a visit to Armenia. "Everybody should work to keep the peace and comply with the 1994 cease-fire agreement."
Clinton, who is visiting the South Caucasus this week, said the clashes could have "disastrous and unpredictable consequences."
Five Azeri soldiers died during a border clash with Armenian troops Tuesday, according to the Azeri Defense Ministry. Armenia's Defense Ministry said three soldiers were killed a day earlier by Azeris.
Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said he planned to meet his Armenian counterpart, Eduard Nalbandian, later this month to try to reach a settlement after recent tensions.
Nagorno-Karabakh remains a flashpoint in a region where Russia fought a five-day war with Georgia in 2008 after separatist tensions flared up.
While the hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan largely ended after a Russia-brokered cease-fire in 1994, the countries have failed to reach a peace agreement.
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