Arman Bulghadaryan

Azerbaijani forces fired at positions in Armenia’s northeast region killing one soldier and wounding two others, according to reports by Armenia’s Defense Ministry, which, along with the foreign ministry sharply condemned Azerbaijan for its blatant breach of the ceasefire agreement.

Arman Bulghadaryan, a 24-year-old soldier of the Armenian Armed Forces was killed Sunday after Azerbaijani snipers fired at the northeastern section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, reported the defense ministry spokesperson Artrusn Hovhannisyan, who also confirmed that two soldiers were injured during the attack.

“Today solder of the Armenian Armed Forces Arman Bulghadaryan, born in 1995, was killed by Azerbaijani shooting in the north-eastern section of the Armenian border. We extend condolences to the soldier’s relatives,” Hovhannisyan said in a Facebook post.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement condemning the most recent attack by Azerbaijan on Armenia proper.

“On July 27 and 28, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan undertook provocative actions in the North-Eastern section of the state border of the Republic of Armenia with the involvement of snipers, which resulted in the death of the serviceman of the Armed Forces of Armenia Arman Bulghadaryan and wounding of two servicemen,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan.

“Intentional and blatant violations of the ceasefire by Azerbaijan is in contradiction to the commitments on adhering to and strengthening the ceasefire, which most recently have also been reconfirmed on the level of the leaders of the two countries during the Vienna summit on March 29,” said Naghdalyan.

“These violations also defy the statement issued by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs following the meeting between the [Armenian and Azerbaijani] Foreign Ministers on June 20, wherein they called on parties to strictly observe the ceasefire and to refrain from any provocative action, including the use of snipers, along the line of contact and the international border,” added Naghdalyan.

“We strongly condemn these provocations which claimed human lives and are accompanied by Azerbaijan’s rejection to undertake confidence and security building measures aimed at observing and strengthening the ceasefire. These actions create a risk of escalation the full responsibility of which lies on the Azerbaijani side,” explained Naghdalyan.

“The provocative action of the Azerbaijani side once again proves that the adversary continues to openly violate the ceasefire regime and escalate the situation in the border zone in a targeted manner. The Azerbaijani side should bear the whole responsibility for the escalation of the situation,” said Armenia’s Defense Ministry in a statement.