Armenian Foreign Ministry Appeals to Official Baku

The Armenian Foreign Ministry has issued a statement regarding the violation of the ceasefire regime by Azerbaijani armed forces on January 11. The statement reads:

“We strongly condemn the gross violation of the ceasefire regime by the Azerbaijani armed forces today, January 11, accompanied by the use of artillery and unmanned aerial vehicles in the direction of the eastern border of the Republic of Armenia, which resulted in the deaths of Armenian servicemen Arthur Artyomovich Mkrtchyan and Rudik Rafikovich Garibyan, with two other servicemen injured. We extend our deepest condolences to the families and relatives of the fallen servicemen and wish a swift recovery to the wounded.”

The provocation by Azerbaijani armed forces is yet another manifestation of Azerbaijan's ongoing encroachments on Armenia's territorial integrity, which began with the incursion into the sovereign territory of Armenia on May 12, 2021, and has continued with periodic armed attacks.

The Republic of Armenia draws the attention of the international community to the fact that official Baku, continuing its encroachments on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, violates fundamental principles of international law, including the UN Charter, and disrupts regional security.

The Armenian side has repeatedly stated that one way to avoid further escalation of the situation could be the mirrored withdrawal of troops from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the activation of international monitoring mechanisms along the border.

We call on the Azerbaijani authorities to refrain from provocative actions and to fulfill their commitments made in the trilateral statement in Sochi and the outcomes of the Brussels meeting concerning the establishment of stability in the region.”

It should be noted that today, January 11, around 15:15, units of the Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire towards Armenian combat positions located in the Verin Shorzha area of the Gegharkunik region, resulting in one serviceman sustaining a medium-serious gunshot wound. Around 17:30, the Azerbaijani armed forces resumed fire towards the Armenian positions located in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, also utilizing artillery and unmanned aerial vehicles. Moments ago, the Armenian Ministry of Defense reported that as a result of the provocations carried out by Azerbaijani units, the following servicemen from Military Unit N of the Armenian Ministry of Defense were killed: Private Arthur Artyomovich Mkrtchyan (born in 2002) and Junior Sergeant Rudik Rafikovich Garibyan (born in 2002).