The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia has issued a statement referring to the provocation of the Azerbaijani side in the direction of the Inner Hand, which states explicitly:
“On the morning of February 13, the Armenian side had four dead and one wounded as a result of the repeated provocation and use of force by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the area of Nerkin Hand settlement of the Kapan enlarged community, the Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia.
Despite the February 12 message of the RA competent authorities, which is being investigated, and the footage and information published by the Azerbaijani media on the same day that RA guards injured an Azerbaijani soldier in the Kapan area, the Azerbaijani side carried out aggressive actions on the morning of February 13. This shows that Azerbaijan is looking for excuses to carry out border escalations.
These actions of using force were preceded by belligerent declarations of Azerbaijan’s military and political leadership, as well as informational and propaganda preparations of the last days. The Azerbaijani leadership is continuously trying to abort the efforts of actors interested in the stability and security of the South Caucasus to resume the negotiations aimed at normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
We strongly condemn these actions of Azerbaijan resorting to military provocations; we call to refrain from steps that destabilize the situation and to return to negotiations. Once again, we reaffirm the proposals made by the Armenian side to implement reliable measures to increase border security.”
