Moscow: On Sunday, Azerbaijan erected a checkpoint on the sole land route connecting Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, infuriating its bitter rival Yerevan.

The action escalates hostilities between the former Soviet Caucasus states that fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh, an area of Azerbaijan with a significant Armenian population.

"The Azerbaijani Border Service units established a border checkpoint on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan, at the entrance of the Lachin-Khankendi road," the state border service reported.

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In 2020 and the 1990s, war broke out between Baku and Yerevan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijan is required to ensure safe passage on the Lachin corridor, which is patrolled by Russian peacekeepers, in accordance with the Russia-brokered cease-fire that put an end to the 2020 conflict.

However, Azerbaijan stated that it established the checkpoint at 12:00 PM (0800 GMT) on Sunday "to prevent the illegal transportation of manpower, weapons, and mines."

Along with that, it stated that the checkpoint "shall be implemented in interaction with the Russian peacekeeping force."

Washington expressed its "deep concern that efforts to establish confidence in the peace process are undercut by Azerbaijan's establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor."

The State Department issued a statement saying, "We reiterate that there should be free and open movement of people and commerce on the Lachin corridor and call on the parties to resume peace talks and refrain from provocative and hostile actions along the border.

The development was described as one that "deplores" the cease-fire agreements and would obstruct the negotiation process in a statement from the French foreign ministry.

With Russia concentrating on its offensive in Ukraine, tensions over the Lachin corridor have increased since last year.

To protest what they believe to be illegal mining, Azerbaijani activists blocked the Lachin corridor in December.

Yerevan charged Baku with staging the protests and fomenting a humanitarian crisis in the remote mountainous region.

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Azerbaijan claimed to have built the checkpoint in response to "threats and provocations" from Armenia on Sunday, but Armenia denied the claims.

Baku charged Yerevan with using the corridor for "the transfer of weapons and ammunition, the entrance of terrorists, as well as illicit trafficking of natural resources and cultural property."

It claimed to have captured the movements of military convoys on Azerbaijani soil as well as "the development of military infrastructure... at the point nearest to the territory of Azerbaijan."

The claims, according to the foreign ministry of Armenia, are a "far-fetched and baseless pretext."

The establishment of the checkpoint, according to the statement, was "a gross violation" of the 2020 cease-fire agreement and was a part of Baku's "policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh."

Nagorno-Karabakh's separatist authorities urged "the Russian Federation to immediately begin discussions" regarding "preventing the establishment" of the checkpoint.

Russia has been noticeably losing influence in the region, which it sees as its traditional sphere of influence, as a result of its offensive in Ukraine and the conflict with the West.

Russia is a security guarantee for Yerevan, which has grown frustrated with the Kremlin for failing to do its job.

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In recent months, clashes have claimed the lives of a number of servicemen from both sides.

And on Sunday, Armenia reported that one of its servicemen had been killed by Azerbaijani forces.

According to Azerbaijan, it was in response to enemy fire.