YEREVAN, May 17. /TASS/. A trend towards the escalation of tension is being observed at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, with Azerbaijani forces displaying aggressive behavior at certain swathes of the border, Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in his Facebook Monday after a meeting of the Armenian Security Council.
"After the Security Council meeting, we observe a trend towards the escalation of tensions and aggression of Azerbaijani forces on certain swathes of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Besides the internal security measures, Armenia initiates procedures in accordance with the Collective Security Treaty and the Armenian-Russian strategic system," Pashinyan said.
According to Pashinyan, Yerevan’s position on this matter remains unchanged: the Azerbaijani Armed Forces must withdraw from Armenian territory.
"We must act in order to find a solution via political means. And if we cannot achieve this result, then we must engage military-political mechanisms," he added.
In turn, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev characterized the situation at the border as stable during the phone call with his Kazakh counterpart Kasym-Jomart Tokayev, adding that negotiations are underway.
"President Ilham Alyev informed the President of Kazakhstan about recent developments at the Azerbaijani-Armenian border," Aliyev’s press service said. "The President of Azerbaijan noted that the process of border clarification is underway, and that the Armenian side reacts to this process in an inadequate manner. Armenia’s appeal to the Collective Security Treaty Organization is merely an attempt to internationalize the process and this step is ungrounded. There were no clashes [at the border], and negotiations are underway."
On Wednesday, the Armenian Defense Ministry announced that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces attempted to carry out "certain operations" in order to "adjust the border" in the Syunik Region. The Azerbaijani Forces reportedly stopped their operations after the Armenian Defense Ministry took reaction measures. Armenia views this incident as an attempt against its sovereignty. According to Pashinyan, the Azerbaijani forces travelled 3.5 km deep inside the Armenian territory.