Azerbaijan Refuses Communications with Armenian Side and Demands Two Armenian Soldiers: Source from Sputnik Armenia

Refusal by Baku to negotiate with the Armenian side regarding the unblocking of sections of the Goris-Kapan road is linked to demands raised after an Azerbaijani serviceman was injured. This information was provided by a source from Sputnik Armenia.

On August 25, Azerbaijan's State Border Service reported the injury of serviceman Ruslan Shiraliyev in the territory of the 'Gubatly Special Border Unit.' Baku claims that two Armenian soldiers allegedly attacked an Azerbaijani serviceman and struck him in the chest with a shovel. The Azerbaijani State Border Service has threatened to give an 'adequate response' to the provocation.

On the same day, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia issued an official denial, calling the Azerbaijani report 'absolute falsehood.' On August 27, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan declared during a government meeting that Armenia is ready to participate in the investigation of the incident with representatives from Russia and Azerbaijan if Baku has any information regarding it.

A source from Sputnik Armenia noted that initially the Azerbaijani side insisted on handing over the 'perpetrators of the incident involving the injury of the serviceman' for investigation. This clearly correlated with Baku's refusal to communicate with the Armenian side and the desire to negotiate only with Russian military personnel.

The Azerbaijani position is based on the logic that their serviceman 'was injured in their territory,' and they perceive this as a diversion. The communications are accompanied by strong emotional tension. The primary challenge now is to achieve a resolution satisfactory to both sides.

Everything is leading to a point where representatives of the investigative bodies from Armenia and Azerbaijan will go to the scene of the incident. Our source added that this should become the starting point for negotiations, after which obtaining an agreement on the opening of traffic in the blocked sections of the road would become a reality.

No one knows about further actions and plans, and local residents also have no information. Both Armenian and Russian border guards are present on the ground.