Azerbaijan’s Strategy Deepens Regional Enmity, says Armenian Prime Minister
In a recent meeting with Sir John Whittingdale, a member of the United Kingdom Parliament’s House of Commons, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed his concerns about the government of Azerbaijan’s strategy. He believes it is aimed at deepening the enmity in their region.
The Incident at the Armenian-Azerbaijani Border
The Prime Minister referred to an incident that took place on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. He stated, “Unfortunately, this is not an isolated action. We continuously see a series of Azerbaijani provocations. In our view, this is Azerbaijan’s policy aimed at disrupting the peace process between our nations by all possible means.” He further pointed out that the aggressive rhetoric from Azerbaijan’s official representatives, coupled with their open territorial ambitions towards Armenia, supports this assessment.
Importance of Peace Process
Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the peace process, stating, “Our government is dedicated to the peace process, but regrettably, it cannot be achieved without the political will of the other side.”
Recent Incident and Azerbaijan’s Intentions
The Prime Minister reflected on a recent incident where four soldiers lost their lives. He stated, “Today’s incident testifies not only to the lack of political will for peace, but also to Azerbaijan’s intentions to deepen hostility and military escalation. This is evidenced by the events that took place yesterday and today.”
He further noted that the incident caused by the Azerbaijani media only adds fuel to the fire. He said, “We have a very long and complicated border, and if anyone is looking to escalate the situation or abort the peace process, they will always find an excuse, even if it is in the form of media publications. Unfortunately, we continuously see this practice from Azerbaijan.”
UK Support
Sir John Whittingdale expressed his condolences and support to the families of the fallen soldiers and to the Armenian people. He expressed his concern about the military operations and emphasized the need to implement steps to strengthen peace and stability.
Armenia’s Humanitarian Challenges
The discussion also covered the capabilities of the Armenian government in addressing the humanitarian challenges of over 100,000 people displaced from Nagorno Karabakh.
Armenia-UK Cooperation
The interlocutors discussed a variety of issues related to enhancing Armenia-United Kingdom multilateral cooperation and strengthening inter-parliamentary ties.
Armenian Casualties
Today, starting at 05:30, Azerbaijani Armed Forces units opened fire from small arms in the direction of the Armenian positions located in the Inner Hand sector. The Armenian side reported 4 casualties and one wounded. As of 09:30, the fire stopped.
