Armenia threatens Azerbaijan with Karabakh recognition

Armenia threatened to recognize the Azerbaijani enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent state if Baku takes military action to reclaim the territory.

"Armenia so far has not recognized the independence of Karabakh for only one reason – so that it does not become an obstacle in the process of peace negotiations," Armenian Presidential Spokesman Samvel Farmanian said in a statement. "If peace talks fail and military actions begin, nothing will prevent Armenia from recognizing the independence of Karabakh," he said.

Tensions over the disputed region have risen after Armenia and close Azerbaijani ally Turkey signed an historic deal to establish diplomatic ties and re-open their border.

On Saturday, Azerbaijani news agencies quoted President Ilham Aliyev as saying that Baku has the right to retake Nagorno-Karabakh by force if ongoing peace talks fail to produce any results.

Aliyev met with his Armenian counterpart Serge Sarkisian in Germany on Sunday for the sixth round of talks this year on resolving the conflict.

International mediators said in a statement after the talks that "progress was made" but that "some issues still remain open."

Backed by Yerevan, ethnic Armenian forces seized control of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding districts from Azerbaijan in the early 1990s, in a war that claimed an estimated 30,000 lives.

Armenian and Azerbaijani forces are spread across a cease-fire line in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, often facing each other at close range, and shootings are common.

Azerbaijani media reported Monday that an Azerbaijani civilian had been shot dead by Armenian forces near the de facto border with Nagorno-Karabakh over the weekend, but the rebel region's armed forces denied the reports.