By Mark Dovich
Armenia reported two fresh ceasefire violations Friday, as the country’s prime minister was abroad for first-of-their-kind three-way talks with senior officials from the European Union and the United States.
In a statement, Armenia’s Defense Ministry said Azerbaijani units opened fire at Armenian positions in the border villages of Chinari in the northeastern Tavush region and Verin Shorzha in the eastern Gegharkunik region. There were no casualties reported.
The press release dismissed reports by Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry earlier in the day that Armenian units opened fire at Azerbaijani positions in the country’s northwestern Tovuz and Gadabay districts.
The European Union, which monitors the Armenian side of the undelimited border with Azerbaijan, did not immediately comment.
Earlier this week, Armenia said Azerbaijani troops had opened fire at army positions in the border villages of Kut, also in the Gegharkunik region, and Tegh in the country’s southern Syunik region. Again, there were no casualties reported.
Friday’s reported ceasefire violations came as Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was out of the country for unprecedented joint talks with the head of the European Union and the United States’ top diplomat.
Prior to those talks, Brussels and Washington announced they will together provide Yerevan with additional financial support worth nearly $360 million, meant to promote economic development and address the needs of the more than 100,000 Armenians who were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh last September.
