On March 7, a serviceman of the armed forces of Armenia, sergeant Hrach Manasaryan was killed and another serviceman was wounded as a result of the gross violation of the ceasefire by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the western part of the border of Armenia.

We extend our deepest condolences and support to the families and relatives of the killed serviceman and wish a speedy recovery to the wounded.

Although the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has denied that a serviceman of the armed forces of Armenia was killed by their armed units, the official press release regarding the consultations held at the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan on March 7 is in line with the tendency of increasing aggression of the Azerbaijani armed units.

Condemning the murder of a serviceman of the armed forces of Armenia, we consider it necessary to emphasize that such incidents, recurring violations of the ceasefire regime even more substantiate the need for a mirrored withdrawal of troops from the Armenia-Azerbaijan borderline and the deployment of an observation mission in the bordering area.

We also underline the importance of adequate assessment of the provocative actions and statements of Azerbaijan by the international community.