On February 10 at approximately 19:55, an Armenian soldier stationed along the northern portion of the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact was killed in the line of duty by an Azerbaijani sniper. The Nagorno Karabakh Defense Army issued a statement about the incident, confirming the death of serviceman Tigran Simonyan, born in 1991.
An investigation has been launched by the Defense Ministry of Karabakh. The Ministry also expressed its deep sorrow and said that it stands in solidarity with the Simonyan family.
Since the beginning of the year, 10 Armenian servicemen have been killed in the line of duty by Azerbaijani snipers, or following commando raids carried out by special units of the Azerbaijani military. An increase in the number of bloody clashes along the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border and the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact has resulted in a number of casualties for both sides.
On February 6, Armenia’s Defense Ministry Spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan said that a “war is simmering on the borders.” During a meeting with reporters, Hovhannisyan said that if Armenia does not respond adequately to the countless ceasefire violations being committed by the Azerbaijani side, Armenia will start to lose the war. “Every single day, the military command is searching for new ways, and is responding to their every ‘innovation’ with more ‘innovation,’” Hovhannisyan said.
The spokesman also spoke about the situation of border villages in the Tavush marz which had come under heavy Azerbaijani gunfire on February 5. A resident of the village of Nerkin Karmiraghypyur, 61-year-old Vanik Ghukasyan was killed during that attack. Hovhannisyan said that his death would be avenged.
“Unlike them, our battle is not with peaceful civilians. We know our adversary well, he is the soldier sitting in the trenches,” the spokesman noted.
Armenia’s Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan met with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on February 5 in Munich. During that meeting Nalbandyan had said “The Azerbaijani leadership is flagrantly disregarding calls by the international community and through its reckless policy and provocative actions is further exacerbating the situation and hampering the peace process.”
The Armenian foreign minister reiterated that Armenia will continue cooperating with the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs to ensure a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
The following day, on February 6, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs issued a statement calling for the resumption of peace talks between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the statement they said that they had discussed proposed measures to reduce the likelihood of bloody incidents and stressed that it is imperative “for the sides to take steps to prevent a repeat of the November 12 helicopter downing.” The Co-chairs also said that they will be traveling to the region later in February.
On January 27, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs had also met with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. During that meeting, the Co-Chairs called on Azerbaijan to adhere to the ceasefire regime and desist from further provocative actions. The statement by the Co-Chairs following that meeting read: “The rise in violence that began last year must stop for confidence to be restored and progress to be made in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. We called on Azerbaijan to observe its commitments to a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We also call on Armenia to take all measures to reduce tensions. All sides must abide by the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Violence undermines efforts to bring about peace.”
