Armenian, Russian defense ministers discussed deployment of Russian border troops in Syunik and Gegharkunik
YEREVAN, June 17. /ARKA/. Armenia's acting Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan and his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu discussed in a telephone conversation the deployment of Russian border guards on several sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces of Armenia.
"During a telephone conversation on June 16, the defense ministers of the two strategic allies discussed ways of resolving the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border," the press service of the Armenian defense department reported.
Harutyunyan was quoted as saying that the Armenian side respects the calls of the partner states to settle the border standoff between Armenia and Azerbaijan peacefully. He added that the position of the Armenian side is unchanged -Azerbaijan military personnel must leave the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia without any preconditions.
The two men were said also to have spoken about the Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh, the Armenian-Russian military cooperation and a number of issues related to regional problems.
Azerbaijani forces had advanced 3.5 kilometers into Armenia’s Syunik province early on May 12 and also breached two other sections of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in Sisian and Vardenis on May 13 under the pretext of 'clarification of border.' Some of them are still on the Armenian territory
Armenia has officially asked the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to take action against Azerbaijani incursions into its territory.
On May 25, an Armenian contract serviceman V. Khurshudyan was fatally wounded in a shootout that began after Azerbaijani troops fired shots at an Armenian military post near Verin Shorzha village.
On May 27, Azerbaijani troops advanced 800 meters into the Armenian territory surrounded and captured 6 Armenian servicemen who were carrying out engineering work to beef up the protection of the border in Gegharkunik province.
On the same day Armenia's acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suggested that international observers from Russia or other Minsk Group countries be deployed at Sotk-Khoznavar section on Armenia's border with Azerbaijan.
Speaking at a Security Council meeting later in the day Pashinyan said his proposal was prompted by the tension that has reached an explosive point in that section of the border.
He said his proposal is addressed to the international community and the government of Azerbaijan- Azerbaijan and Armenia must agree to pull back their troops from the border to their permanent deployment places, so that international observers from Russia or other OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing county (France or the United States) be deployed along the entire section of the border. -0-
