Relative stability has returned to the Armenia-Azerbaijan border after four Armenian soldiers were killed in an Azerbaijani attack on April 11.
The Defense Ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan both reported cross-border fire near the village Tegh in the southernmost Syunik province of Armenia. At least four Armenian soldiers were killed and six wounded. Arthur Sahaykan (1999), Mkrtich Harutyunyan (1989), Henrik Kocharyan (1997) and Narek Sargsyan (1994) were killed in the fighting. As of Wednesday evening, three of the wounded soldiers remain in serious condition, while three are in stable condition.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said that around 4 p.m. local time, Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire at Armenian soldiers “carrying out engineering works in the direction of the Tegh community.” The fighting lasted around three hours.
The MoD published a video that reportedly shows how the attack took place. In the video, Azerbaijani soldiers drive up to Armenian soldiers digging trenches along the border before opening fire. Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the Azerbaijani soldiers approached “under the pretext of clarification of positions on the border.”
The video shows how the vehicle with a group of #Azerbaijan‘i servicemen, with aim of #provocation, approaches the servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Republic of #Armenia engaged in engineering works & opens fire in their direction.https://t.co/dAXcmf16Cc
— MoD of Armenia
(@ArmeniaMODTeam) April 11, 2023
(@ArmeniaMODTeam) Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry accused the Armenian side of starting the fighting. Three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed, and four were wounded.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Russian guards along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border were notified of the fighting. They “immediately contacted Armenian and Azerbaijani officials and took de-escalation measures.”
“The incident once again confirms the need for Baku and Yerevan’s mutual restraint, as well as strict observance of the trilateral agreements concluded by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia,” Zakharova said during a press briefing.
Fighting also reportedly took place near the village Sotk in the Gegharkunik province of Armenia. Ruzanna Grigoryan, representative of GeoProMining, the company that operates the Sotk gold mine, told Armenpress that Azerbaijani forces fired at Armenian positions near Sotk. Operations at the mine were temporarily suspended, and its employees were evacuated. Armenian officials have not confirmed this report.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said that the use and threat of force are an “integral part of Azerbaijan’s policy” and aim to “undermine the efforts of mediating partners to continue peace negotiations.”
“These aggressive actions of the Azerbaijani side have been carried out despite the readiness to resolve the existing problems through constructive negotiations expressed by the Armenian side earlier,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry also accused the Armenian side of destabilizing negotiations. “The fact that such provocations by Armenia took place in the face of serious calls for negotiations on a peace agreement by the international community shows that Armenia is not interested in the peace process,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“In order to prevent provocations of Armenia, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan are taking and will continue to take all necessary measures,” Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry continued.
On March 30, Azerbaijani soldiers advanced up to 300 meters into Armenian territory at five border sections near Tegh and set up posts. Farmers from Tegh have lost access to their fields and cannot work due to the presence of Azerbaijani soldiers.
Tegh is the final border village in Armenia on the road to Artsakh. The Tegh-Kornidzor road, which is still under construction, connects to the new path of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor that has been in operation since August 2022. The new route begins in the village Kornidzor in Syunik, passes through the village Hin Shen in the Shushi district and reaches the Artsakh capital Stepanakert.
On August 30, Azerbaijani forces captured an alternate temporary route that has been in use by Armenia to reach the Berdzor Corridor, forcing Armenia to start using the Tegh-Kornidzor road.
The European Union said that it “deplores the armed clashes that yesterday led to several Armenian and Azerbaijani servicemen being killed or injured.” It called for the withdrawal of Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers from the border.
“This incident yet again emphasizes that in the absence of a delimited border, the 1991 line must be respected, the forces of either side withdrawn to safe distances from this line to prevent any similar incidents from occurring,” Nabila Massrali, the EU spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said in a statement.
The EU also urged the “intensification of negotiations on the delimitation of the border.”
In January, the EU deployed a two-year mission to monitor the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. The mission includes 100 civilian staff members. The aim of the mission is to “contribute to stability in the border areas of Armenia, build confidence and human security in conflict affected areas, and ensure an environment conducive to the normalization efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan supported by the EU.”
Armenian and Azerbaijani observers have been warning of an imminent military escalation by Azerbaijan for weeks. Independent Azerbaijani news outlet Mikroskop Media reported on March 13 that Azerbaijani media have been preparing the public for the outbreak of fighting. The outlet said that Azerbaijani TV channels have been warning of an Armenian provocation that would trigger an anti-terrorist operation by Azerbaijan.
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