WAR IN KARABAKH FINISHED BUT GUNS STILL AT READY

When oil-rich Azerbaijan recently announced a huge increase in military spending, there was speculation that it might be preparing for war with Armenia, its neighbor in the Caucasus, Tom Esslemont from BBC writes. It is just 15 years since they were last at war, over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict between the two former Soviet states made headlines around the world, and left at least 25,000 people dead. But how realistic are the fears of renewed conflict? In a warren of thick concrete trenches I meet up with five young soldiers on patrol in the blistering heat. These are the youngest members of the Armenia-backed Nagorno-Karabakh army and, at under 160cm tall (5'3), are all short enough to stand up in the tiny, cramped observation bunkers. I have to stoop to get inside so that I can peer through a gap in the thick blast wall. Beyond the barbed wire I can see the grassy fields of Azerbaijan in the distance and some signs of movement on the other side. Sometimes we see the Azeris, says junior sergeant Lernik Gasparyan. Sometimes they shoot, but it is quiet at the moment. The two sides blame each other for the infrequent infringements of a ceasefire which has been in place ever since the war ended in 1994. There are occasional reports of soldiers being killed in gunfire and mine explosions. Although the military phase of the war may have ended 15 years ago, the conflict continues.

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