The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the gross violation of the ceasefire by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the south-eastern direction of the Armenian border on May 28, as a result of which private Davit Vahani Vardanyan, a serviceman of the Armenian Armed Forces, was killed.
Expressing condolences to the soldier’s family and friends, the Ministry stressed that “the provocation was preceded by destructive, belligerent and superstitious statements by the President of Azerbaijan on May 27, which included claims on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.
The Ministry reminded that since May 2021, units of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have illegally invaded the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia in the Sotk-Khoznavar section, occupying an area of more than 45 square kilometers.
“The incident of May 28 and similar provocations, regular ceasefire violations once again justify the need for a mirror withdrawal of troops from the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the deployment of an observation mission on the border, which has been repeatedly raised by the Armenian side,” the Ministry said in a statement.
“Taking into account that the Commission on Border Delimitation and Security between Armenia and Azerbaijan has already started its work, this incident should be investigated and assessed by the commission,” the statement reads.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry reminds that the consequences of the previous gross violation of the ceasefire established by the November 9, 2020 statement, as a result of which the Azerbaijani Armed Forces invaded the village of Parukh in Nagorno Karabakh, which is under the responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping troops, are yet to be eliminated.
“We consider it important that the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the CSTO, the European Union and the entire international community give a proper and targeted assessment of Azerbaijan’s provocative actions and statements, aggressive rhetoric aimed at undermining peace efforts in the South Caucasus,” the Ministry stated.
It called on the Azerbaijani leadership to refrain from provocative actions and rhetoric, fulfill the trilateral statements, and commit to establishing stability and security in the region as a result of the Brussels meetings.