Another Armenian Village House ‘Damaged by Azeri Gunfire’

Residents of Khnatsakh and Khoznavar have reported nightly gunfire from Azerbaijani army positions for almost a month. According to them, it usually starts after 10 pm and continues through the night, keeping villagers on edge.

Two Khnatsakh residents who spoke with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service by phone on Monday said gunshots fired by Azerbaijani troops intensified overnight.

“It felt like a war is breaking out,” said one of them.

“The kids are scared. So are the adults… It’s been like this for a month,” said the other villager.

The cross-border gunfire, which the Defense Ministry in Yerevan has consistently downplayed, began days after Azerbaijan began accusing Armenian troops of violating the ceasefire regime on a virtually daily basis. The accusations denied by the Armenian military followed official announcements on March 13 that the two conflicting sides have bridged their differences on the text of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty.

Baku has made it clear that it will not sign the treaty without securing more Armenian concessions. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev warned last week that Armenia will risk a “new military confrontation” with Azerbaijan unless it makes those concessions.