Two Armenian minors found after going missing near Azerbaijani border

Two Armenian minors who were believed to have accidentally wandered into Azerbaijan were found within a day, with Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) stating that they ‘got lost’ due to poor weather conditions.

The two minors were reported missing on Friday, with the NSS saying on 6 June that the two had wandered into Azerbaijan. The incident reportedly took place in the area adjacent to the border village of Aravus.

On Saturday, the NSS dismissed rumours that the two were abducted by Azerbaijan, saying that they ‘got lost’ while searching for their herd, without specifying whether they were lost in Armenian, Azerbaijani, or neutral territory. The security agency said that the two ‘were unable to orient themselves in the area due to fog’.

The NSS based its statement on conversations they have had with the two boys after they had been found.

On Saturday, RFE/RL quoted the family members of the boys as saying that they waited until the fog faded away and returned home. They also said the boys were in Armenian territory and had not seen any Azerbaijanis.

According to the father of one of the boys, Armen Jhangiryan, they left their homes at around 01:00 on Friday and returned the same evening at around 21:00.

Following their disappearance on 6 June, Armenia’s Investigative Committee launched an investigation into their disappearance ‘on the grounds of kidnapping’.

While the NSS did not provide any details as to how the minors got lost, Armenian media reported that the two went to look for a lost horse, and were captured by Azerbaijanis, with RFE/RL reporting that Azerbaijani military positions ‘are just metres away from the pastures’.

Azerbaijan did not issue any official statement, only pro-government Oxu.az cited reports that the two minors ‘were grazing livestock that may have crossed into Azerbaijani territory’.

One of the missing boys, according to RFE/RL, encountered five Azerbaijani soldiers near the border in 2024 as he was herding about 300 sheep. The media reported that the boy managed to flee the scene on horseback.

The incident took place as Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to fail to sign a peace deal despite its conditions having been agreed upon since 13 March. Instead, there are ongoing accusations of a ceasefire on their shared border.

As the fate of the boys remained unknown, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wrote a post on X extending a rare congratulatory message to Azerbaijan and its people on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, ‘wishing peace and prosperity to our countries and peoples’.

Armenia reports that two minors wandered into Azerbaijani territory after getting lost

The two minors reportedly ended up in Azerbaijani territory while searching for their horse.

OC MediaArshaluys Barseghyan