Armenia accuses Azerbaijani fire of damaging seventh residential building

On Thursday, Armenia reported that a residential house was damaged in Khoznavar, Syunik, on Wednesday night as a result of Azerbaijani fire. No casualties were reported.

Armenia’s Defence Ministry attached footage showing the damaged window and also the bullet fragment.

The ministry additionally urged Azerbaijan ‘to conduct an investigation into the incident and to provide public explanations regarding the shelling of the residential house’.

The Azerbaijani pro-government media outlet APA later wrote that Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry refuted the claims, alleging that Armenia ‘is trying to form a wrong opinion in the international community and create a basis for its next provocations’.

This marks the seventh case that Armenia has accused Azerbaijan of damaging civilian objects in the border villages since 31 March, with all statements containing photos showing the damage caused as a result of the fire, along with bullet fragments.

This also marks the first reported ceasefire violation in over two weeks, breaking a period of relative calm that began after Azerbaijan’s last allegation on 14 May. It is also the first such incident since Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Tirana on 16 May on the sidelines of the European Political Community summit.

Pashinyan and Aliyev meet in Albania amidst ongoing tensions

This marked the first meeting between Aliyev and Pashinyan since the text of the peace treaty was agreed upon in March.

OC MediaArshaluys Barseghyan

According to an official Armenian statement, Pashinyan and Aliyev discussed the ongoing peace process during their Tirana meeting, attaching ‘importance to the continuity of the process towards its signing’.

The same day saw renewed high-profile calls for signing the peace treaty, which has remained in limbo since the two sides agreed on its terms on 13 March, with Azerbaijan pushing preconditions.

Progress on the diplomatic front was quickly followed by rising tensions between the two countries, with Azerbaijan first and primarily accusing Armenia of violating the ceasefire.

Since 16 March, Armenia has denied such allegations 28 times. Armenian authorities repeatedly expressed their readiness to investigate the Azerbaijani allegations in case any evidence were provided.

On 7 May, Armenian authorities reported making contact with Azerbaijan regarding the ceasefire violations. Two days later, the Secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, stated that Armenia’s investigation of all ceasefire violation claims made by Baku concluded that ‘in general, there were no such violations’.

Despite the continued ceasefire violation accusations on both sides, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan showed signs of optimism, telling RFE/RL on 9 May that ‘perhaps soon there will be good news about the signing of the peace agreement’.

Pashinyan to pursue constitutional reform if peace treaty conflicts with Armenian law

Meanwhile, Pashinyan reiterated that Armenia’s Constitution does not contain any territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

OC MediaArshaluys Barseghyan