Serzh Sargsyan on the incidents
Serzh Sargsyan responds to correspondent of panorama.am on the incidents on the border.
The loss of each soldier is a loss for the Armenian nation. We mourn with the families of the victims. There is no level that is proportionate to the answer that we give the opponent that can mitigate our sorrow. I have always stated that the provocations are very dangerous, and I have also stated that there will be a coarse response. The latest incidents are evidence of that.
Either these provocations were implemented by the order of Azerbaijan's leadership, and the leaders take personal responsibility for Azerbaijan's violation of international obligations, or the Armed Forces of that country are out of the control of the commanders. In that case, we must be ready to deal with separate field commanders, not an organized army.
We don't have any reason to apply force since we believe the only way of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is through negotiations, and resolution should emanate from the opportunity of the people of Artsakh to exercise their right to self-determination. To move forward with that, as the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have mentioned several times, the people have to be prepared for peace.
The Azerbaijani side continues to do the opposite, viewing the encouragement of xenophobia as a means of distracting the people's attention from the internal affairs.
It is especially painful to see that the provocations took place on the day when Armenian and Azerbaijani intellectuals were holding a meeting for strengthening the measures of confidence in Moscow and the U.S. Secretary of State was in the South Caucasus on a regional visit.
We don't wish to intensify the situation, but we won't let any action against the security of our citizens, the state borders and Nagorno-Karabakh go unanswered. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia have received a strict instruction to be reserved and vigilant toward any provocation on the part of the opponent. I am certain that the international community and the people of Azerbaijan realize who will feel remorse for the blood of the victims.
