Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Belgium and Luxembourg, Head of Mission to EU Vaqif Sadiqov has threatened that his country’s military will deploy sniper rifle if members of the EU’s monitoring mission in Armenia approach the border between the two countries.

“The Istiglal IST-14.5 anti-materiel sniper rifle produced in Azerbaijan has the effective firing range of about 3,000 m. Guys, keep clear of Azerbaijani state border...,” Sadiqov wrote on Twitter on Monday, June 26.

The Ambassador’s threats came after members of the European Parliament visited the border and urged Azerbaijan to withdraw immediately from all parts of the territory of Armenia, respect its international legal obligations an end the blockade of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh).

Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopyrkin was summoned to the Armenian Foreign Ministry on June 16 after an attempt by the Azerbaijani forces, accompanied by Russian peacekeepers, to raise an Azerbaijani flag over Armenian territory, which left one Armenian border guard injured. Following the incident, Azerbaijan completely blockaded Karabakh.