Azerbaijani forces continued to open fire on Armenian positions in the Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces on Sunday, damaging houses. No casualties were reported.
Armenia’s defense ministry said that beginning at 11:45 p.m. local time on Saturday and continuing until 12:25 a.m. local time on Sunday Azerbaijani forces opened fired near the Khoznavar region in the Syunik Province. At around the same time, between 11:45 p.m. and 12:48 a.m. local time, Armenian positions were targeted near Aravus, again in Syunik. Much later, at around 2:20 a.m. local time on Sunday, Armenian position came under fire near Sotk in the Gegharkunik Province.
Azerbaijan’s defense ministry issued a statement on Saturday evening, claiming that Armenian forces opened fire at Azerbaijani positions at 6:30 and 10:05 p.m. local time on Saturday.
Armenia’s defense ministry refuted Azerbaijan’s claims.
Azerbaijan intensified its attack on Armenian border positions on Friday, just as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan concluded a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels, where the U.S. and EU pledged a robust assistance package to Armenia.
This meeting was criticized by both Moscow and Baku, with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan saying on Friday that the talks in Brussels were “against Azerbaijan.”
Armenia’s foreign ministry on Saturday issued a statement urging Azerbaijan to halt its “provocations” along the border.
“By opening sporadic fire on numerous sections of the border and moving dozens of military vehicles, Azerbaijan has clearly pursued provocation as its goal to incite the units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia to take countermeasures in order to obtain facts that would ‘substantiate’ the recent Azerbaijani disinformation,” Armenia’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.
The statement also stressed that Armenia is not interested in escalating the situation in the region and calls on Azerbaijan to stop actions aimed at such an escalation.
