Monday, January 9 2017 12:01

ArmInfo.CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha's statement over the latest incident on the Armenian-Azeri state border was quite clear, Armenian Defense  Minister Vigen Sargsyan told reporters on Jan 8. 

When asked about the attempted sabotage attack mounted on the  Armenian-Azeri border by the Azeri armed forces on December 29,  Sargsyan said that the CSTO countries assessed the Karabakh problem  through a joint statement at the summit in Yerevan. "And the CSTO  Secretary General's statement was quite clear. The Secretary General  is one of the most important figures in the CSTO," the minister  stressed.  

As regards the situation on the border during the New Year holidays,  Sargsyan noted that the situation was comparatively calm. However,  this does not mean that the adversary does not breach the ceasefire,  he added. Sargsyan pointed out that the Armenian armed forces take  retaliatory measures in case of emergency only. 

The minister stressed that the better the border is fortified, the  fewer opportunities the adversary has to mount any sabotage attacks.  The equipment process will constantly be in the focus of the Defense  Ministry's attention.   

To recall, on December 29 morning, the Azeri armed forces attempted a  sabotage attack on the southeastern section of the Azeri-Armenian   border near Chinari village of Tavush province of Armenia. The   adversary used sniper rifles and grenade launchers. The Armenian   troops got to grips with the adversary. Armenian Defense Ministry   Spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said that three Armenian servicemen   were killed - Senior Lieutenant Shavarsh Melikyan and privates Edgar   Narayan and Erik Abovyan. The adversary suffered 7 human losses,  including one victim left on the Armenian side when retreating. 

CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha issued a statement, saying:  "The CSTO Secretariat is concerned about the information regarding  the armed incident near Chinari village of the Republic of Armenia.  We view these actions in the territory of the CSTO member state as a  provocation, especially amid the April events in the Nagorno-Karabakh  Republic, when heavy weapons and artillery were launched. We hoped  that within the efforts of both sides to the conflict the settlement  process should be improved, but the latest information on the regular  ceasefire violations, especially the incident of December 29, causes  serious concerns." This statement sparked the painful reaction of  Baku.