UN urges an immediate end to fighting on Armenia-Azerbaijan border

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is deeply concerned by reports of exchanges of fire, including with heavy weaponry, along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, which reportedly resulted in deaths, his spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement on Monday, July 13.

"The Secretary-General urges an immediate end to the fighting and calls on all involved to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation and refrain from provocative rhetoric," the statement reads.

"The Secretary-General has taken note of the statement issued today by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group co-chairs, and reiterates his full support for their efforts to address this dangerous situation and search for a peaceful, negotiated settlement to the long-standing Nagorno-Karabakh conflict."

Azerbaijan launched two failed infiltration attempts on the border with Armenia whose troops immediately identified the saboteurs and thwarted them back to their positions on Sunday. On Monday morning, the Azerbaijani military resumed provocations and continued firing on Armenian positions. On the Armenian side, two police officers and three contract servicemen have sustained slight injuries, while Azerbaijan has reported at least four deaths. Azerbaijan also fired from large caliber grenade launchers to target civilians' homes in border villages. A source told PanARMENIAN.Net , meanwhile, that The Armenian Armed Forces have now "occupied" a new position in the province of Tavush, which neutralizes the communication routes of one of the largest Azerbaijani bases in the region.