Yerevan approves Karabakh independence bill

The Armenian government has approved a bill recognizing the independence of the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh area, Russian Interfax news agency said on Thursday.

Yerevan will send the draft bill to the parliament “very soon," the report said.

The move could fuel the ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan that has killed dozens of soldiers on both sides in recent weeks.

Armenia postponed the bill several times so as not to affect the ceasefire deal.

Nagorno-Karabakh, legally a territory of Azerbaijan, fell under the control of separatist Armenians in the late 1980s after a civil war and since then remains a point of conflict between Yerevan and Baku.

A ceasefire was established in 1994 followed by a UN-backed peace negotiation.

Azerbaijan claims that the Armenian army has repeatedly violated the latest ceasefire agreement, and the resulting resurgence of the armed conflict has resulted in casualties on both sides.