Addressing the heads of diplomatic representations accredited in Armenia, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan again denied Azerbaijani claims that Armenian forces initiated fighting along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border by targeting Azerbaijani military bases.

“Starting on September 2, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has been spreading false information daily that the Armenian side opened fire with various caliber weapons in the direction of the Azerbaijani bases. This information was officially denied by the Ministry of Defense of Armenia several times during those days,” reads a statement released today by Mirzoyan.

Mirzoyan claimed that Armenia had received information about aircraft from Turkey carrying military cargo to Azerbaijan before the fighting broke out the other day.

He stated that Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia is, in part, a result of the vague statements of the international community regarding Azerbaijani military provocations that began in late March.

Mirzoyan said Azerbaijan must cease all military operations, return all Armenian POWs, and that its forces must return to their original positions. 

Mirzoyan said that Baku is pressing a “maximalist policy” against Armenia as evidenced by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s remarks, during a meeting in Brussels on August 30 with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, that the Nagorno Karabakh issue has been resolved and Baku will deal with the security of Artsakh Armenians.

He said that such remarks do not bode well for any “peace deal” with Azerbaijan.

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