From this moment on, all responsibility for further escalation falls on Azerbaijan: Mirzoyan

On November 17, Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan hosted diplomats accredited in Armenia for an urgent meeting. During his speech, Ararat Mirzoyan stated, “Hello everyone. Thank you for accepting my invitation to this urgent meeting. The purpose of our meeting is to inform you about the details of Azerbaijan's provocative and aggressive actions that took place yesterday at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

“As you know, Azerbaijani armed forces infiltrated the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia yesterday. This followed another attempt at infiltration two days earlier on November 14. Around noon, specifically at 1:00 PM on November 14, Azerbaijani armed forces entered the territory of the Republic of Armenia, leading to four Armenian positions being surrounded. As a result of negotiations, those Azerbaijani servicemen and their equipment were withdrawn from the territory of Armenia. However, the tension did not diminish, and yesterday, again at approximately the same time in the same area, another new infiltration occurred, accompanied by the use of armored vehicles, artillery, and various calibers of armaments. I can state that, in essence, the Azerbaijani side has likely used everything except for air force.”

“The Armenian side responded with counteractions. It must be noted that we cannot label this anything other than aggression against the Republic of Armenia. By 6:30 PM yesterday evening, hostilities were halted through Russian mediation, yet the presence of Azerbaijani armed forces in Armenia, as a result of this infiltration, remains.”

“I want to inform you that at this moment, the Armenian side has confirmed 1 fatality, 12 Armenian servicemen captured, and the fate of another 24 Armenian servicemen is currently unknown. Search operations are ongoing with the participation of the Russian side. It is evident that these actions were preceded by months of very clear anti-Armenian, xenophobic, and aggressive statements from the Azerbaijani authorities, blatant threats of the use of force, encroachments on Armenian territory, ambitions, and aspirations, as well as the so-called 'corridor logic'—statements regarding obtaining a corridor, including announcements about taking corridor by means of force.”

“I would also like to inform you that, in our firm belief, this behavior of Azerbaijan is a consequence of our international partners and the international community as a whole not adequately and directly responding to Azerbaijan's use of force during the aggression that started against Nagorno-Karabakh on September 27 last year, and subsequently during these months, regarding the statements and behavior I mentioned. In our view, the international community’s response to all these provocative and aggressive statements and actions has not been adequate and direct. Continuous statements treating both sides as equals have been directly interpreted by Azerbaijan as encouragement to continue this behavior.”

“We expect that our partner and friendly countries will respond immediately and directly to these actions and will exert their immediate influence on the Republic of Azerbaijan to urge them to cease provocative actions and encroachments against the Republic of Armenia. I want to inform you that under the UN Charter and all bilateral and multilateral agreements, the Republic of Armenia reserves the right to defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty. From this moment on, all responsibility for further escalation directly falls on the Republic of Azerbaijan.”

“I would also like to discuss another political nuance. In our opinion, by shifting tensions to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border line, Azerbaijan is attempting to divert the international community's attention from the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Once again, I emphasize that the Republic of Armenia will defend both its territorial integrity and the right of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination.”

At the end of the meeting, Ararat Mirzoyan answered questions from the attendees.