Armenia Again Refutes Border Fire Claims

The Armenian Ministry of Defense has rejected recent allegations of ceasefire violations, calling them disinformation and urging the establishment of a joint investigative mechanism to address such claims, Orda.kz reports.

On March 20, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry accused Armenian forces of opening fire on Azerbaijani positions along the eastern and southeastern sections of the border. Armenia’s Defense Ministry swiftly denied the allegations:

The statement issued by the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan, alleging that on March 20, between 12:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on Azerbaijani combat positions in the eastern and southeastern sectors of the border zone, does not correspond to reality,the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement, reaffirming that Armenian forces had not violated the ceasefire. 

The Ministry emphasized that Yerevan remains committed to transparency and accountability in border security matters. Officials also reiterated Armenia’s longstanding proposal to establish a bilateral mechanism with Azerbaijan for investigating alleged ceasefire violations — an initiative first introduced in June 2024.

As of now, the Republic of Azerbaijan has not provided the Republic of Armenia with any factual evidence or justification regarding the alleged ceasefire violations by the units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia,the Ministry added, highlighting that Baku has yet to respond to Armenia’s offer for a joint fact-finding initiative. 

The exchange of accusations comes amid ongoing efforts to finalize a peace agreement between the two countries and previous accusations. Earlier this month, both sides announced that negotiations on the draft text of a comprehensive peace treaty had been completed. 

Meanwhile, on March 20, while answering journalists' questions about a potential attack, Armenia’s Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan stated: 

Naturally, we will defend ourselves.