China News Service, Astana, February 14th Comprehensive news: The Armenian Ministry of Defense issued an order on the 13th local time stating that it must not escalate the situation with Azerbaijan.
TASS news agency quoted the Armenian Ministry of Defense on the 14th as saying that according to the order, in order to prevent the escalation of the situation on the Asia-Afghanistan border, no incidents should be caused in the border areas between the two countries.
According to the Armenian Ministry of Defense, the Azerbaijani army shelled Syunik Oblast in southern Armenia on the 13th, killing four people and injuring one. On the same day, a statement released on the website of the Azerbaijan State Border Guard Agency stated that the action was a "retaliatory action" in response to the Armenian armed forces' provocation the previous day.
In response to the recent exchange of fire between the two countries, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan said that the Armenian government will continue to promote the Asia-Afghanistan peace process and make every effort to achieve concrete results. But he also pointed out that if the other party does not show political will for peace, long-term peace will be difficult to achieve.
In addition, Russia has also paid attention to this incident. According to Russian media, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov recently stated that Russia calls on both parties to exercise restraint.
Armenia and Azerbaijan were previously in a state of hostility over the ownership of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Naka) region, and armed conflicts occurred from time to time. The two countries issued a joint statement in December 2023 stating that the two sides reiterated their intention to normalize relations and reach a peace treaty on the basis of respecting the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. The statement also said that contacts would be made regarding the implementation of additional confidence-building measures. In addition, both sides called for support from the international community, saying it would help build mutual trust between the two countries and have a positive impact on the South Caucasus region. (over)