YEREVAN — Two foreign national workers building a new metallurgical plant in Armenian border village Yeraskh were seriously wounded on Wednesday in a cross-border fire from nearby Azerbaijani army positions.

The workers, identified by the Defense Ministry in Yerevan as Indian nationals Muhammad Asif and Mirhasan Sahajan, were hospitalized as a result.

The ministry accused Azerbaijani forces of firing at its border posts as well as the construction site in the village of Yeraskh for the second consecutive day. It released a photograph of a civilian vehicle in the village bordering Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave riddled with bullet holes.

Several Yeraskh residents interviewed by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service confirmed that the under-construction plant repeatedly came under fire. RFE/RL reporters were not allowed to approach the site for security reasons.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry issued a statement following the first truce violation reported from Yeraskh late on Tuesday. It said Baku is demonstrating “overt disregard for Armenia’s internationally recognized borders” and underlining its desire to “impose solutions on Armenia through the illegal use of force.”

“Either we negotiate in good faith to find mutually acceptable solutions, or, if there is a use of force, then such a policy is unacceptable to us and, we hope, the international community as well,” Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told the Armenian parliament on Wednesday.

For his part, Defense Minister Suren Papikyan said Armenia is not planning any “aggressive actions” against Azerbaijan and will continue to advance its “peace agenda” despite the Azerbaijani attacks. Papikyan also assured lawmakers that the Armenian armed forces will defend “our country’s sovereign territory.”

The truce violations came one week after the Azerbaijani government protested against the construction of the Yeraskh plant located just 800 meters from the Nakhichevan border. It claimed that building the industrial facility without Baku’s permission is a violation of international environmental norms.

Yerevan brushed aside that claim. The Armenian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that Baku’s “false concerns” are a smokescreen for impeding economic growth and foreign investment in Armenia.

Armenia’s largest gold mine also located on the border with Azerbaijan was likewise targeted by systematic Azerbaijani gunfire this spring. The Russian owner of the Sotk gold mine announced last week that it has no choice but to end open-pit mining operations there and put many of its 700 workers on unpaid leave.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sign Up for Our Newsletters

Get notified of the latest updates from MassisPost.

You May Also Like

ACA-PAC Endorses Karen Bass for Los Angeles City Mayor

LOS ANGELES — The Armenian Council of America – Political Action Committee…

Armenia Fund Thanksgiving Day Telethon 2016 – TV Guide

GLENDALE — Armenia Fund’s “My Artsakh” International Thanksgiving Day Telethon 2016 will…

Armenian Politicians Exposed to State-Sponsored Spyware Hacking Through Israeli Pegasus Firm

YEREVAN — About two dozen citizens of Armenia, including an opposition politician…

U.S. Envoy Hopes for New Armenian-Azeri Summit

YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — The chief U.S. mediator in the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh peace…