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Pashinyan reiterates call on Azerbaijan to withdraw forces from border simultaneously

Armenian Acting Prime Minister also suggested correcting the border at the Sotk-Khoznavar swath together with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair
Armenian Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS
Armenian Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
© Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

YEREVAN, June 9. /TASS/. Armenian Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reiterated his proposal for Azerbaijan to simultaneously withdraw forces in the Gegharkunik province and deploy Russian peacekeepers there

"The issue lies in the correction of the border, so we propose the following: both sides simultaneously withdraw their forces, and Russian border control servicemen are deployed on the border. Then, we, together with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, begin correcting the border at the Sotk-Khoznavar swath," he said.

After the hostilities ended in Nagorno-Karabakh last year, the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan was moved to the direct proximity of the Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces of Armenia. The situation there escalated on May 12. The Armenian Defense Ministry stated at the time that Azerbaijani forces attempted to carry out "certain works" in the Syunik province in order to "correct the border," traveling 3.5 kilometers inside Armenian territory. After the Armenian forces took responded, the Azerbaijani servicemen reportedly ceased their operations.

However, both sides periodically report new incidents. For example, on May 27, Azerbaijan announced the detention of six Armenian soldiers attempting to cross the border for sabotage. Yerevan confirmed the detention but claimed that the soldiers were carrying out engineering works on Armenian territory near the border.

Later, Armenia announced that it had contacted the CSTO over the situation at the border. The CSTO Minsk Group on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh situation presented their de-escalation plan, which involves the withdrawal of forces and the commencing of border demarcation and delimitation.