Azerbaijan and Armenia Trade Accusations Over Border Fire Again

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense has claimed Armenian forces opened fire on its positions from 17:00 on March 31 to 04:45 on April 1, Orda.kz reports.

According to the Ministry, the attacks came from Armenian army units stationed near the settlements of Zarkend, Zod, Ashagy Shorja, Yukhary Shorja, Istisu, Khanazakh, and Khaznevar in the Basarkechar and Goris districts, and involved intermittent small arms fire.

Armenia’s Ministry of Defense has denied these claims:

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry’s claim that Armenian forces allegedly opened fire between 17:00 on March 31 and 04:45 on April 1 on Azerbaijani positions in the eastern and southeastern parts of the border zone does not correspond to reality. 

The Ministry also reiterated its earlier proposal to establish a joint Armenia-Azerbaijan mechanism for investigating ceasefire violations. According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, this initiative was put forward by the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, but has not yet received a response.

The Armenian Ministry of Defense confirms that, in accordance with the position of the Prime Minister’s Office, it is ready to investigate the facts cited in the Azerbaijani statement — if the relevant information is provided to the Armenian side.