A soldier of the Armenian Army was fatally shot by Azerbaijani forces on Monday in the military position near the Bardzruni village in the Vayots Dzor Province.
At around 2:35 p.m. local time, Azerbaijani forces opened fire at the Armenian position killing serviceman Gerasim Arakelyan, Armenia’s Defense Ministry reported.
“An investigation is underway to entirely reveal the circumstances of the incident. The Ministry of Defense extends condolences and support to the family, relatives and comrades of the serviceman,” the ministry added.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement strongly condemning the Azerbaijani attack, which it said is meant to incite new provocations.
“The Azerbaijani side, through provocative actions on the border and rejections of proposals constantly made by various international actors to continue negotiations, tries to impede the peace process and lead it into a deadlock,” the foreign ministry statement said.
“We strongly condemn these actions of the Azerbaijani side aimed at inciting a new escalation, delaying the peace process and bringing it to a deadlock,” added the statement.
The European Union’s representatives to the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, was also alarmed by the border incident.
“Worrying report of shootings and death on Armenia-Azerbaijan border,” Klaar wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
“EU is constantly engaged with Baku and Yerevan. It is essential that calm prevails on the ground and decisive progress is achieved at the negotiating table,” Klaar wrote.