April 10 () –
At least one member of the State Border Service (SBS) of Azerbaijan was injured this Wednesday after an exchange of fire in the province of Qubadli, located on the border with Armenia, after an Armenian citizen crossed the border.
The soldiers were in the area “trying to prevent a violation of the border when they received several shots from the Armenian side,” as explained by the Press Center of the State Border Service and reported by the Azerbaijani news agency AZERTAC.
The authorities have indicated that, although the situation is stable and under control after the incident, the injured person has been identified as Rovshan Mammadov and has been immediately transferred to a hospital in the area.
“The responsibility for this Armenian provocation falls entirely on the military and political authorities of Armenia,” the authorities have stated, while the Armenian Government has explained that the incident occurred after an Armenian shepherd crossed the border in search of one from part of his flock, which had been lost.
“The Armenian authorities are prepared to carry out a joint investigation with the Azerbaijani border guard. Apart from this investigation, the Armenian side has already launched its own investigation. The question of why and how the shepherd crossed the border is subject to clarification,” the Armenian National Security Service said in a statement.
In this sense, he has indicated that “this type of incident is undesirable for the Armenian side” and has confirmed that the Azeri forces have returned the flock and the shepherd to Armenian territory.
