Khachatryan on Gunfire Incidents in Syunik Province

The objective of the Azerbaijani side is to cause panic and anxiety, and of course, when shots are fired near a village, it disturbs all the villagers. This was stated by Armen Khachatryan, a member of the 'Civil Contract' parliamentary group, in a conversation with journalists at the National Assembly, addressing the gunfire directed at the village of Khznavar in Syunik Province from the Azerbaijani side.

"This is not the first time; similar incidents have occurred multiple times. Unfortunately, such incidents are repeated, and several investigations have been initiated, criminal cases have been opened to determine where those bullets came from, whether they were fired with direct targeting, or perhaps they were random, or could be due to other circumstances. The intentions will be further clarified through the investigation of the criminal cases," he said.

When asked about the statement from the US Secretary of State claiming there is a risk of escalation, as well as similar statements from the Russian Defense Minister, while the Armenian authorities assure that there is no such risk, he responded, "All great powers have their own interests, while the Armenian authorities state what exists and are responsible for that. One cannot say what basis any great power’s statement or other actions have."

In response to the question of whether the Azerbaijani side would continue firing if there were adequate responses from Armenia, he remarked, "You are asking a very straightforward question. Of course, escalation will happen, and you cannot predict where that escalation will stop. It is not the case that the Armenian side lacks the capacity to respond adequately; however, the position of the Government of the Republic of Armenia is that every effort should be made to reach a peace agreement, thereby making it impossible to allow escalatory actions."

Regarding the comment that the actions of the Azerbaijani side lead to that, he stated, "No, they do not lead to that, because our armed forces are carrying out operations that are quite adequate and balanced, and no escalatory actions can be expected from the Republic of Armenia."