Criminal case opened after Armenian aimed air pistol towards Azerbaijani troops near border

Armenia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case after someone aimed an air pistol towards Azerbaijani troops near the administrative border of the border village Tegh.

According to Aravot.am, the incident occurred a few weeks ago, when the Goris community police received a call that the driver of a Nissan car was pointing a gun at Azerbaijani soldiers at the border near Tegh. Following this, three people — a 32-year-old, a 45-year-old, and a 21-year-old — were arrested.

Aravot.am also reported that the 32-year-old man, who lived in Vagharshapat, also known as Echmiadzin, stated that he pulled out his air pistol in anger and pointed it at the Azerbaijani soldiers in order to intimidate them.

While confirming the criminal case, the Investigative Committee did not provide any details as to when the incident allegedly occurred, the identity of the Armenian citizen who held the air pistol, nor under which article of the criminal code the case was opened. However, the committee did note that no arrests had been made.

‘Who saw it? The Turk [Azerbaijani] saw it, right? None of our people saw it. Where did our esteemed investigator get that evidence?’ Argam Hovsepyan, an opposition member of the Tegh community council, told RFE/RL.

Hovsepyan further called on law enforcement officials to come to the border villages, including Khoznavar and Khnatsakh, to ‘take a look’.

‘They [Azerbaijani troops] are shooting every day, so why aren’t they [Armenian law enforcement] filing a case against the Turks?’

Since 31 March, Armenia has accused Azerbaijan eight times of damaging civilian objects in the border villages, with all statements containing photos showing the damage caused as a result of the fire, along with bullet fragments.

The latest accusation came on 30 May, when Armenia accused Azerbaijani fire of damaging the bathroom of a residential building and fatally wounding a farm animal.

Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of ‘damaging’ residential building and killing animal

This marked the eighth time Armenia accused Azerbaijan of damaging a residential building in the last while.

OC MediaYousef Bardouka

Previously, in early May, Factor TV sent an inquiry to the Armenian Prime Minister’s Office about Armenia’s offer to investigate ceasefire violation reports, to which the office responded by saying that Armenia had transferred ‘relevant information on ceasefire violations’ to Azerbaijan, and information about ceasefire violations was also presented to Yerevan from Baku.

The Prime Minister’s Office did not specify when the exchange took place, nor did it provide any additional information.

‘The Armenian side investigated the information and forwarded a report on the results of the investigation to the Azerbaijani side’, the office was quoted as saying.

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On Thursday, Armenia reported that another civilian object was damaged as a result of Azerbaijani fire.

OC MediaArshaluys Barseghyan

In addition to official ceasefire violation reports, residents of Armenia’s border villages have also repeatedly reported daily and nightly shooting from the Azerbaijani side. In response, starting from March, the EU Mission in Armenia increased the number of night patrols to ‘enhance nighttime security and safety and relieve possible tensions’.

Despite these reports, the Armenian Chief of the General Staff, Edward Asryan, said during a press briefing that they had assessed the border situation as stable.

‘Yes, shots were fired, they are being fired, but they are not targeted. The shots that are specifically targeted are reported by the official news feed of our department. If shots are fired from the opposite side, they are intended to exert psychological pressure on our soldiers and also on the border population. But the fact is that we do not pay attention to it’, Asryan said.

On Thursday, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan claimed that there was a ‘real chance’ to establish peace with Azerbaijan and sign the peace agreement ‘in the nearest future’.

‘Of course, to what extent the chance I see could be realised is another matter. But Armenia, for its part, is doing everything for this to happen in this scenario’, Mirzoyan told reporters in parliament.

Armenia–Azerbaijan missing persons commissions hold meeting

No details were revealed by either side regarding the nature of the meeting.

OC MediaYousef Bardouka