The Armenian Foreign Ministry has said that the entire responsibility for the consequences of provocations launched against Armenia rests with the Azerbaijani authorities.

In a statement published after Azerbaijan began to shell Armenian positions on Sunday, July 12, the Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the ceasefire violations by the Azerbaijani armed forces and their failed attempts to infiltrate into Armenian positions with the use of artillery.

According to the statement, the Armenian Foreign Minister, in coordination with the Prime Minister of and the Minister of Defense, is in constant contact with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, updating them on the situation and the consequences of further escalation.

The Azerbaijani side, in contradiction to the calls of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to refrain from provocative actions and warmongering rhetoric and strengthen the ceasefire, has been resorting to threats of use of force and military escalation. The military authorities of Azerbaijan bear full responsibility for the consequences of the provocative action undertaken amid these threats," said the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

A group of Azerbaijani soldiers riding an UAZ vehicle attempted to cross the border to Armenia on Sunday. After the Armenian side fired warning shots, the Azerbaijani servicemen abandoned the car and returned to their position. A little more than an hour later, Stepanyan said Sunday, the Azerbaijani troops launched a second attempt to cross the border, this time using artillery fire. Stepanyan said the Azerbaijani soldiers were thwarted back to their positions, with no casualties reported on the Armenian side. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry has so far reported four deaths and continued shelling the Armenian positions․