Armenia does not want an escalation of tensions with Azerbaijan but will respond to any actions against its citizens, borders and Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan has said on Thursday.
The comments come in the wake of armed clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, resulting in losses on both sides, over the past few days.
“Armenia's armed forces have received strict orders to show restraint and vigilance, but at the same time to prevent any provocation by an adversary and punish them for that,” Sargsyan said, according to the press service of Armenian president.
The president added that the only way to solve the Karabakh conflict was through negotiations, and added that this settlement should be achieved in accordance with Nagorno-Karabakh’s right to self-determination.
“In order to move forward, and resolve the problem, people need to prepare for peace as has been noted by the OSCE Minsk Group several times. Azerbaijan has continued to do the opposite, encouraging xenophobia as a way to distract citizens from internal problems," Sargsyan said.
Moscow said it is concerned by reports of rising tensions in the Karabakh zone and called on the parties involved to resolve their differences through peaceful means.
“We consider the further escalation of tensions unacceptable and are urging both sides to continue their efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.
“Both sides should strictly adhere to the 1994 ceasefire agreement,” he added.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted in the late 1980s, when Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region on Azerbaijani territory with a predominantly ethnic Armenian population, claimed independence from Azerbaijan. The war is estimated to have left more than 30,000 people dead on both sides between 1988 and 1994. The region has since remained under Armenian control. The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have agreed to hold talks over Nagorno-Karabakh on June 18 in Paris, following a call from the OCSE Minsk Group mediating the conflict.
