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Armenia refrains from imposing martial law so far, PM says

Pashinyan remarks that the situation on the border remains tense

YEREVAN, September 16. /TASS Armenia’s Security Council has discussed imposing martial law in the country but has so far refrained from using the option, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a cabinet meeting on Friday.

"We at the Security Council discussed imposing martial law in the country but decided it was not necessary yet. However, there are citizens who want to take part in defending our borders. They could consult with military commissariats," he added.

The situation on the border remains tense, Pashinyan said. "We may ask volunteers to help protect our borders," he added.

The Armenian Defense Ministry said in the early hours of Tuesday that Azerbaijan’s armed forces had opened fire on Armenian settlements. Baku said that was in retaliation to Yerevan’s provocations. Later on, Azerbaijan announced that the sides had agreed to a ceasefire, but Armenia claimed that the shelling continued.

The Armenian Security Council convened an emergency meeting where a decision was made to request Russian assistance by activating the relevant provisions of the Agreement on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance and also to appeal to the CSTO and the UN Security Council. Pashinyan told the country’s parliament earlier on Friday that the Azerbaijani attacks had killed 135 Armenian servicemen.