Armenian Provocation Against Azerbaijan Ends in Deaths on Both Sides

Tensions escalated on the conditional Armenia-Azerbaijan border on Tuesday after Azerbaijani soldiers were attacked by Armenian forces.

The Azerbaijan Defense Ministry reported intensive firing on the Azerbaijan army's positions in the Lachin region.

The Armenian armed forces used mortars and large-calibre weapons during the attack, which started at around 5:30 pm on Tuesday, the ministry said.

Baku-based Caliber.Az news service reported that the Armenian military also deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). However, Armenia denied the use of drones.

According to Caliber.Az, the standoff began after a group of Armenian troops took positions closer to the posts of the Azerbaijani army to build engineering structures. Despite repeated warnings by the Azerbaijani military to withdraw, the Armenian side resorted to weapons escalating the situation into a full-fledged fire.

Around 7:20 pm on Tuesday, the shooting on the border stopped and the situation stabilized upon the mutual agreement.

Three Azerbaijani servicemen were killed while preventing the Armenian "provocation," Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry statement said.

Meanwhile, Armenia’s Defense Ministry reported four killed and six wounded. Armen Gezalyan, a special army corps commander, was reportedly among the wounded.

Azerbaijani authorities blame Armenia’s political-military leadership for the deadly border conflicts.

President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said the incident on the border was a purposeful provocation by Armenia. Minister Bayramov added that  the presence of the Armenian military within the perimeter of the territory of hostilities has indicated to a "well-thought-out plan".

“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. Such military provocations of Armenia at the same time are accompanied by provocative political actions and statements,” Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The ministry asserted that Armenia's provocations against Azerbaijan downplay the norms and principles of international law, violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and threaten regional peace and security.

Armenia’s hostile actions must be rejected and condemned by the international community in a strict form, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.