YEREVAN (Azatutyun) — An Armenian soldier was shot and killed on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan the night of Monday, September 5, in what military authorities in Yerevan described as an Azerbaijani ceasefire violation.
A statement released by the Investigative Committee on Tuesday suggested that the 19-year-old conscript, Arman Sargsyan, was fatally wounded in the head by cross-border sniper fire. The incident reportedly occurred at an Armenian army post in Gegharkunik province bordering western Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry denied that Sargsian was killed by its troops. Earlier on Tuesday, it accused Armenian forces of again opening fire at its border outposts in the Kelbajar district just east of Gegharkunik.
The Armenian Defense Ministry was quick to deny the claim. It also deplored “totally false information” about Armenian ceasefire violations spread by the Azerbaijani side on a daily basis for almost a week.
Local government officials in two Armenian border villages close to Kelbajar told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Tuesday that they have heard virtually no gunfire in recent days. They also said there have been no disruptions in agricultural activity there because of cross-border skirmishes.
