In recent days, there have been cases when individuals, various officials and media representatives try to enter the border areas of Syunik and Gegharkunik, in the direction of which the provocations of the Azerbaijani armed forces took place.

The RA Ministry of Defense informs.

“For security reasons, we strongly urge to refrain from traveling to the mentioned areas, where the RA Armed Forces are carrying out military service around the clock.

As it was announced earlier, in the absence of a peaceful resolution of the situation, the RA Armed Forces reserve the right to resolve the issue by any means, including force. In this case, the presence of civilians can only hinder the Armenian units from fully fulfilling their tasks.

The RA Police and military police forces on duty on the spot have been instructed to exclude the entry of civilians to the mentioned areas.

“We urge to accept these restrictions with understanding so as not to create unnecessary problems for the armed forces,” the statement said.

As we had informed earlier today, Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said, on May 20, at the regular sitting of the government that the operative situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, in the well-known parts of Gegharkunik and Syunik marzes, has not changed in the sense that the situation remains tense, with the record that a large number of Azerbaijani servicemen remain in Armenia, about 500-600 people in different parts.

 “The logic of our Armed Forces actions is the following: to limit the potential of the actions of the Azerbaijanis by tactical actions. Politically, our task is to prevent the situation from getting out of control, that is, to do our best to exclude any scenario of war or military conflict, to get the representatives of the Azerbaijani armed forces to leave the territory of the Republic of Armenia. In this regard, we can state that a huge amount of diplomatic work has been done, and one of the important evidences of which is that the seat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is vacant at today’s government session; our partners from MFA are currently engaged in that work. I consider the diplomatic work of the current situation effective,” Pashinyan said.