The European Union and NATO have condemned the “deadly incident” in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), in which the Azerbaijani military killed three Armenian police officers.

“The EU deplores the outbreak of violence on the Karabakh Line of Contact, which led to at least five deaths,” said Peter Stano, Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, also counting in Azerbaijan’s losses.

“The circumstances surrounding this deadly incident need to be fully investigated. We urge all stakeholders to show restraint in order to prevent any further actions which could further undermine regional stability and threaten the peace process.”

Javier Colomina, the NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs & Security Policy and Special Representative for the Caucasus & Central Asia, weighed in on the matter too, expressing concerns over “reports of deadly incident” near Stepanakert, Karabakh’s capital.

“This incident demonstrates the urgency to find solutions for outstanding issues at the negotiation table. NATO supports the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Colomina said.

Three Karabakh police officers were killed and another wounded in an Azerbaijani armed attack on Sunday, March 5. They were ambushed by an Azerbaijani “sabotage squad” as they rode in a car outside Stepanakert.

Later in the day, the Armenia Foreign Ministry condemned Azerbaijan’s deadly shootings in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) as an act of “terrorism” which it said was “preplanned and ordered by Azerbaijan’s supreme leadership.”