The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia is convinced that the mirror withdrawal of the troops from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the launch of an international monitoring mechanism could be one of the measures to avoid further escalation of the situation.

Below is the full text of the statement:

Military provocations of the Azerbaijani armed forces along the entire Armenian-Azerbaijani border happen every day. On December 10, Vahe Manaseryan, a serviceman of the armed forces of Armenia, was fatally wounded and eight other servicemen were injured in a course of such provocation.

Expressing deep condolences to the family of the fallen serviceman, wishing a speedy recovery to the wounded servicemen, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia condemns the provocative actions of Azerbaijan, emphasizing that they are pre-planned and aimed to further escalate the situation in the region.

The above-mentioned observation is based on the fact that Azerbaijan is constantly evolving its absurd rhetoric on so-called “Zangezur Corridor”, which contradicts the Trilateral Statements of November 9, 2020, January 11, 2021, and the agreements reached in Sochi on November 26, 2021, and are a blatant demonstration of the aspirations towards the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.

Armed units of Azerbaijan have illegally infiltrated into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and occupied an area of ​​more than 40 square kilometers since May of this year, and today’s incident took place in one of those areas.

To date, Azerbaijan has not responded to the proposal of the Republic of Armenia on the mirror withdrawal of the troops, which was handed over to the Azerbaijani side in written form on November 26.

The Republic of Armenia draws the attention of its partner in the security sphere – the Russian Federation, also the Collective Security Treaty Organization, UN Security Council, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and the international community to the above-mentioned evidence, as well as to the fact that with its warmongering statements the official Baku continues the threats of use of force against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia, violating the fundamental principles of international law, including the UN Charter, as well as undermining the regional and global security.

The Republic of Armenia calls on the Republic of Azerbaijan to refrain from provocative rhetoric and actions, and not to hinder the efforts of establishing peace and stability in the region.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia is convinced that the mirror withdrawal of the troops from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the launch of an international monitoring mechanism could be one of the measures to avoid further escalation of the situation.