Azernews.Az

BAKU – European Union foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has expressed concern over the latest fatal skirmishes along the contact line of Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone.

Ashton told reporters after discussions on the South Caucasus region in the EU’s Foreign Affairs Council on Monday that the current situation in Nagorno Karabakh and Georgia had been discussed. "We are very worried about the fatal incidents… in Nagorno Karabakh over the weekend."

Two Azerbaijani soldiers have been killed by Armenian troops in Azerbaijan’s frontline regions since last Friday.

The two countries have been locked in conflict for two decades. 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory has been under Armenian occupation since the two South Caucasus republics signed a precarious cease-fire in 1994 following a lengthy war. OSCE-brokered peace talks have been largely fruitless so far and sporadic clashes on the frontline continue.

According to the EU press office, the meeting of the European Union's foreign ministers "focused on the need for regional stability and conflict resolution and the importance of making full use of the Eastern Partnership".