Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan Says Azerbaijan Attacked Armenia's Sovereignty

YEREVAN (Sputnik) - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Azerbaijan has carried out new attacks on the sovereignty and democracy of Armenia.

The Armenian Defense Ministry on Wednesday accused Azerbaijan of mortar shelling of Armenian positions on the border. It said three Armenian soldiers were killed. In turn, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said the Azerbaijani military came under fire from the Armenian Armed Forces. Baku said one Azerbaijani soldier was wounded.

"As a result of a new @Azerbaijani attack 3 Armenian soldiers have been killed today within the territory of @Armenia. This is an attack against Armenian independence, sovereignty and democracy. The Azerbaijani invasion must be condemned and stopped," Pashinyan wrote on Twitter.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said that "on September 28, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, illegally located on the sovereign territory of Armenia, using mortars and large-caliber weapons, once again grossly violating the ceasefire, opened fire on the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border."

The ministry called the incident "another provocation, which is a continuation of the large-scale aggression launched on September 13 against the territorial integrity of Armenia."

It said this confirms the fears of the Armenian side that Azerbaijan plans to keep using force.

"Moreover, such a provocation by Azerbaijan aims to disrupt the meeting of the two countries' foreign ministers, the organization of which is being discussed," the statement said.

"In the current situation, we call on the international community to put pressure on the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan by taking effective steps and applying appropriate mechanisms to strictly observe the ceasefire," the Foreign Ministry said.

On September 12, hostilities broke out on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The sides accused each other of starting an escalation. Both parties reported losses among military personnel. By next morning, the sides agreed on a ceasefire.

Head of the Russian Federation Council's Foreign Affairs Committee Grigory Karasin told Sputnik the ceasefire was achieved thanks to the efforts of Russia, including after a conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and the work of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

On September 13, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Collective Security Council reached an agreement to send a mission of the organization, led by Secretary General Stanislav Zas, to Armenia.