Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan, at a press briefing with reporters today, that that Armenia will exercise restraint when responding to Azerbaijan’s continuing provocations designed to disrupt the establishment of regional peace.

Yesterday, Azerbaijani troops opened fire on workers repairing water pipes near Shushi, killing one and injuring three.

When asked why the Armenian government continues to speak of peace while Azerbaijan employs bellicose rhetoric, Simonyan responded that the government must not use incendiary language that might provoke a new war.

“If we talk of war, will they not shoot? Yes, our answer is adequate. We should not provoke a war, we have never done that even after the first war,” he said.

Simonyan said peace is essential for Armenia’s development and that grandstanding in front of the cameras for rating points can only hinder the peace process.