BRUSSELS, 13 Feb. Head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell, speaking in Brussels following negotiations with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, criticized Azerbaijan’s “disproportionate response” to the shelling by the Armenian military.
«We discussed the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including, unfortunately, the recent incident on the borders. The shelling of Azerbaijani soldiers by Armenia is regrettable, but Azerbaijan's response seems disproportionate, since the statement of the Armenian Ministry of Defense was ignored that This incident will be fully investigated,» Borrell said.
According to him, this incident demonstrates the need to “distance” the forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan, which the EU has long insisted on.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense reported that on February 13, Azerbaijani border guards carried out a “retaliation operation” by destroying an Armenian combat post. According to the Armenian Ministry of Defense, four of its soldiers were killed. The day before, the Azerbaijani military department accused the Armenian side of shelling positions in the Zangelan direction. In recent months, not a single case of violation of the fire regime has been recorded on the border of Armenia and Azerbaijan; the parties have been working on the final draft of the peace treaty.