Senor Hasratyan, Head of the Department of Public Affairs of the Artsakh Defense Army (ADA), has refuted today’s Azerbaijani defense ministry assertion that the ADA units fired 60 and 82 mm mortars.

“First, we would like to see the opponent present at least one piece of evidence to back up these charges, all similar, against Karabakh," Hasratyan writes in publicly circulated communique.

Hasratyan says that the Artsakh government is ready to provide ample evidence that the Azerbaijani army has, in fact, been firing mortars periodically for some time.

“Second, if Azerbaijan wants to rule out such incidents along the Line of Contact, then it must agree, as has Armenia, to the inclusion of investigative mechanisms along the frontline,” Hasratyan writes, adding that meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg between the two sides discussed this matter but that Baku hasn’t taken any steps to implement such mechanisms.

“In conclusion, Karabakh is ready to conduct monitoring at any time and at any location, with the participation of intermediaries, to see who is planning an attack,” Hasratyan writes.