Armenian Soldier Killed on the Border with Nakhijevan

YEREVAN — One Armenian soldier has been killed and one Azerbaijani soldier wounded in the latest border shoot-out between Armenian and Azeri military..

Armenia’s Ministry of Defense said the incident happened at the Yeraskh section of the Armenian border with Azerbaijan’s exclave of Nakhijevan on Wednesday morning.

It accused Azerbaijan’s armed forces of attempting to advance their military posts closer to Armenian positions by conducting fortification work with the use of engineering machinery. “After the Armenian army undertook measures to force Azerbaijani servicemen to stop that work, the Azerbaijani military opened targeted fire on the Armenian positions. As a result of the shoot-out, one Armenian serviceman was fatally wounded. Azerbaijan also suffered casualties,” the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“Armenia’s Defense Ministry strongly condemns another provocation of the Azerbaijani side and warns that such provocations will face fierce counteraction. All responsibility for further escalation of the situation lies with the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan,” it added.

Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement accusing Azerbaijan of “trying to create new sources of tensions and undermining regional peace and security.”

“Such steps by the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan could lead to further escalation of the situation, and the Azerbaijani authorities bear the entire responsibility of its consequences,” the FM statement said.

This is the second border incident in which an Armenian serviceman gets killed since Armenia accused Azerbaijan of advancing several kilometers into its sovereign territory at several border sections in May.