CSTO urges Azerbaijan, Armenia to restore ceasefire

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Secretariat of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is calling on Azerbaijan and Armenia to "immediately restore ceasefire in the CSTO zone of responsibility", the CSTO press secretary Vladimir Zainetdinov said Tuesday, July 14.

While Armenia is a member of the Organization, Azerbaijan is not.

"The CSTO Secretariat expresses serious concern over the escalation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border that began on July 12 after an armed confrontation between the militaries of Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the use of heavy weapons, as a result of which casualties have been reported," Zainetdinov said in a statement.

"These developments do not contribute to the normalization of the situation on the border of two neighboring states – one of which, Armenia, is a CSTO member state – and indicates a violation of ceasefire agreements reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

Zainetdinov said the CSTO urged the sides to work towards reaching an exclusively peaceful settlement and refrain from provocations in order to prevent further escalation.

On July 12, Azerbaijan launched two failed infiltration attempts on the border with Armenia whose troops immediately identified the saboteurs and thwarted them back to their positions. Since the next morning, the Azerbaijani military resumed provocations and continued firing on the Armenian positions. Two police officers and three contract servicemen have sustained slight injuries on the Armenian side, while Azerbaijan has reported 11 deaths. Azerbaijan has also been firing from large caliber grenade launchers to target civilian homes in several border settlements.