We strongly condemn the ceasefire violations by the Azerbaijani armed forces towards Tavush Province of Armenia: Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The spokesperson of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anna Naghdalyan, published a statement on her Facebook page regarding the gunfire from the Azerbaijani armed forces towards Tavush Province. The statement reads:

“We strongly condemn the ceasefire violations by the Azerbaijani armed forces towards Tavush Province of Armenia, which began at noon on July 12 and were accompanied by attempts to penetrate Armenian positions and the use of artillery. Thanks to the adequate actions of the Armenian side, these provocative actions have been effectively curtailed. The Minister of Foreign Affairs is in constant communication with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the personal representative of the current OSCE chairperson, coordinating with the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and presenting the situation on the ground and the potential dangers of further escalation.

Recently, the Azerbaijani side has continuously posed threats of the use of force and military escalation, contrary to the calls of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to refrain from provocative actions, hostile rhetoric, and to strengthen the ceasefire regime. The entire responsibility for the consequences of these provocations lies with the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan.”

It is noted that according to the Ministry of Defense of Armenia, on July 12, around 12:30 PM, Azerbaijani armed forces attempted to breach the state border towards Tavush in a UAZ vehicle. Following a warning from the Armenian side, the Azerbaijani servicemen left the UAZ vehicle and returned to their positions. At 1:45 PM, Azerbaijani servicemen attempted again to seize the Armenian armed forces' border position, using artillery fire; however, they were suppressed by the Armenian side and were repelled with losses. There were no losses on the Armenian side,” the statement said.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense, Shushan Stepanyan, later informed on her Facebook page that the Azerbaijani side resumed shelling towards our positions with 82 mm mortars and tanks. She also noted that the gunfire continues periodically with varying intensity, and the Armenian armed forces have no losses or injuries. All attempts by the adversary are targeted and neutralized. In another post, Shushan Stepanyan stated that the Armenian armed forces do not fire towards Azerbaijani settlements. “Only the engineering infrastructure and technical means of the Azerbaijani armed forces are targeted,” she wrote.