Armenia, Azerbaijan exchange accusations of ceasefire violation

Ceasefire violations between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged accusations of violating the ceasefire in recent days in the conflict zone.

The Armenian side accuses Baku of shelling military positions and peaceful territories of the unrecognized NKR. According to reports from Nagorno-Karabakh, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces have violated the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh in recent days using small arms of various calibers.

In turn, the Azerbaijani side accused the Armenian of ‘provocations’ on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

• How have Armenian villages ended up in Azerbaijan?
• What will become of the Zangezur corridor? Comments from Azerbaijan and Armenia

Information from NKR

In the message of the Ministry of Defense of the unrecognized republic, it is said that shots from the Azerbaijani side were recorded earlier, but this was mainly shooting in the air. And recently, the combat positions of the Defense Army and settlements have been fired upon.

In particular, it is reported that the Azerbaijani side opened fire on the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh and the villages of Shosh and Mkhitarashen.

The NK Defense Ministry is sure that such violations are aimed at “creating panic among the population of Artsakh” as well as “casting a shadow on the implementation of the Russian peacekeeping mission.”

The shelling was also commented on by the Foreign Ministry of the unrecognized republic, noting that “any attempts to terrorize the Artsakh people are doomed to failure and cannot undermine their determination to live freely on their own land”:

“Attacks on Armenian vehicles, shelling of villagers performing agricultural work, sabotage entry into the territory of the monument located on the Shushi-Stepanakert road and the act of vandalism committed there, destruction of Armenian cultural and historical monuments and many other hostile actions of the Azerbaijani side are a consequence of the Armenian hateful and fascist policy pursued by in Azerbaijan at the state level”.

Information from Baku

The State Border Service of Azerbaijan reports that after the visit of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Zangezur (Syunik region of Armenia) on April 21, provocations took place on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border.

In particular, “units of the State Border Service located in the village of Seidlyar of the Zangilan region near the Azerbaijani-Armenian border, as well as the positions of the border service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, serving in this direction on the territory of Armenia, were fired upon by Armenian servicemen.”

Azerbaijani media report that in connection with the incident, Russian border guards appealed to their Azerbaijani counterparts, stating that the provocateurs were drunk and asked not to respond to the incident:

“Considering the request of the Russian side, the Azerbaijani border guards showed restraint and did not respond. After the incident, the Azerbaijani side became aware of the removal of the Armenian military provocateurs from the territory.

On the same day, a group of 30-40 people, heading to the state border in the direction of the village of Shurnukh, Gubadli region, chanted anti-Azerbaijani slogans in Armenian. “

The State Border Service said that in case of a repetition of such provocations in the future, “the most decisive retaliatory measures will be taken.”

Refutation from Yerevan

The Armenian Defense Ministry issued a statement, which reads:

“Azerbaijan is making a desperate attempt to accuse the Armenian side of the violation of the ceasefire regime that took place the day before, in particular, the shelling of some settlements in Artsakh.

You need to have a very vivid imagination to accuse the Armenian Armed Forces of shelling the positions of a strategic ally – the Russian peacekeeping mission.

The armed forces of Artsakh and Armenia are committed to a trilateral agreement on maintaining the ceasefire and call on the Azerbaijani military-political leadership to do the same. “