Armenia convinced Azeri downing of Russian copter will receive adequate response

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian Foreign Ministry has weighed in on Azerbaijan's downing of a Russian helicopter, expressing conviction that the use of force against the Russian Armed Forces will receive an adequate response.

Azerbaijan earlier apologized for "accidentally shooting down" the Mi-24 gunship over Armenia, saying it is "ready to pay compensation". Two members of the crew died while a third was injured in the crash, the Russian Defense Ministry said earlier. The Mi-24 aircraft accompanying a convoy of the Russian military base in Armenia was shot down with a man-portable air-defense system (MANPAD), the Ministry added, stressing that the incident took place in the airspace of Armenia, outside the combat zone.

"The tragic incident occurred far away from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, in a place, where no military clashes have been recorded during this period. From this perspective the claims of the Azerbaijani side and attempts to justify it are false and groundless," the Foreign Ministry said.

"We strongly condemn this assault towards the Russian Armed Forces by the Azerbaijani armed forces within the sovereign territory of Armenia."

Azerbaijan, with help from Turkey and terrorist mercenaries deployed by Ankara, started a war against Karabakh (Artsakh) in the morning of September 27. The Armenian side has reported deaths and injuries both among the civilian population and the military. Foreign and local journalists too have been injured in Azeri shelling of towns and villages.