While Azerbaijani forces continued to open fire at Artsakh civilians Thursday and Friday, official Baku blamed the Russian peacekeeping forces for hastening what it called the illegal transfer of arms into Artsakh.
Azerbaijani combat positions on Thursday and Friday targeted and opened fire with weapons of various types and calibers at a group of citizens carrying out pruning work in the vineyards of Machkalashen community of the Martuni region, the Artsakh Interior Ministry reported.
While no casualties were reported, Artsakh officials suspended all agricultural activities in the region.
The Artsakh Interior Ministry also slammed Azerbaijan’s disinformation saying that Baku is deliberately misleading and misrepresenting the situation.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry on Friday claimed that Armenians were using the Stepanakert-Ghaybalishen-Lisagor road to transport military supplies.
“The Azerbaijani side is misleading the international community and preparing the ground for another provocation against the civilian population of Artsakh,” the Artsakh police said in a statement.
“The Artsakh Ministry of Internal Affairs considers it necessary to emphasize once again that the movement of civilians and the transportation of humanitarian goods are carried out along the forest and mountain road bypassing Shushi, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers,” explained the statement, saying that Azerbaijan has labeled the trucks carrying the materials as military vehicles.
“The movement of one combat vehicle ZTR-82A belonging to the Russian peacekeeping contingent, three tent KamAZ [trucks] and one KamAZ vehicle with a fuel tank belonging to Armenians was recorded by means of technical monitoring of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan,” Azerbaijan’s defense ministry said.
“With such actions, the Russian peacekeeping contingent does not fulfill its obligations defined by the provisions of the trilateral statement [of November 9, 2020],” Baku accused the Russian peacekeeping contingent.
“Such incidents should be stopped immediately. Such illegal actions, which happen on a regular basis, testify to the need for Azerbaijan to set up a border and control checkpoint at the end of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border on the road to Lachin,” added Azerbaijan’s defense ministry.
