Armenia and Artsakh Refute Azeri Claims of Capturing ‘Armenian Saboteur’

YEREVAN — Spokesperson of Armenia’s defense minister Artsrun Hovhannisyan ridiculed the authenticity of the video, released today by Azerbaijani media outlets, showing a scene of interrogation of an alleged ‘Armenian saboteur,’ labeled the recording as a ‘cheap theatre’.

“No attempt of subversive infiltration was ever made, subsequently there cannot be any captive saboteur. Furthermore, we haven’t and have never had a serviceman with the mentioned name and surname,” Hovhannisyan told Panorama.am.

For his part, Davit Babayan, spokesperson of the Artsakh Republic Presiden stated. “Through disseminating false reports about subversive attacks allegedly planned by Armenian forces Azerbaijan is trying to save its face and wounded pride. These fabricated reports serve a purpose to show the domestic population.”

“One should not exclude they [Azeris] will soon film some people in their studios in Armenian military unifforms to show false evidence to their claims. Alternatively, through disseminating false reports about sabotage attacks, Azeris try to tell the international community they kill Armenian soldiers in response to these infiltration attempts,” suggested Babayan, adding everyone knows the real violator of the ceasefire incidents at the Line of Contact.

Earlier the Azerbaijani media reported that the Armenian forces allegedly attempted a subversive attack and suffered losses, while the one was held captive. Later, a footage was released, showing interrogation of a man it described as an Armenian intelligence officer identified as Zaven Hovhannes Karapetyan, who was telling about himself being from Dovegh village of Armenia and describing his so-called task.

Political Analyst and journalist Tatul Hakobyan, who is from Dovegh village, reacted to the news on his Facebook, insisting there is no such man in his native Dovegh village.

“I obviously know all 500 residents of our village… No residents with Karapetyan surname live and have lived in Dovegh. Azeris are simply engaged with primitive tricks,” Hakobyan wrote.