Armenian Soldier Killed on Azerbaijani Border in Yeraskh

The Ministry of Defense in Yerevan swiftly dismissed the “disinformation.” In particular, it denied Baku’s claims that Armenian soldiers deployed outside a border village in Gegharkunik province on Sunday targeted nearby Azerbaijani army positions in the Kelbajar district west of Karabakh.

Armenia called on the international community to properly assess the provocative actions and statements of Azerbaijan.

“Although the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has denied that a serviceman of the RA Armed Forces was killed as a result of the actions of their units, the official statement on the March 7 meeting at the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan goes in line with the logic of increasing aggression of Azerbaijani units,” the MFA said.

“Condemning the murder of a serviceman of the RA Armed Forces, we consider it necessary to emphasize that such incidents and regular violations of the ceasefire further substantiate the need for a mirror withdrawal of troops from the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the deployment of an observation mission in the border area,” the statement continued.

“We also consider it necessary that the provocative actions and statements of Azerbaijan be properly assessed by the international community,” the Ministry said.

There had been no major shooting incidents on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border for nearly two months. Russia and Western powers pressed Yerevan and Baku to de-escalate tensions along the long frontier.