EU Observers ‘Not Present’ During Tuesday’s Azerbaijani Attack on Armenia

The European mission in Armenia said Wednesday that its observers were not in the area on Tuesday when Azerbaijani forces opened fire on Armenian positions near Tegh, killing four soldiers and injuring six others.

“The EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) as part of implementation of its mandate, conducted its regular patrol in the area of Tegh and Kordnidzor villages during the morning of April 11,” the EU press service said in response to a query from the Armenpress news agency, which asked whether the EU mission has notified the EU about the Azerbaijani attack.

“However, they [observers] were not present in the area where the incident happened. In the late afternoon, the Mission was informed by Armenian authorities about the shooting,” the EU press service told Armenpress.

In a statement on Wednesday, the EU said it condemned “the armed clashes that yesterday led to several Armenian and Azerbaijani servicemen being killed or injured on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border in the area of Tegh.”

The EU’s External Action Service, which issued the statement said that in the absence of delimited borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan “the 1991 line must be respected the forces of either side withdrawn to safe distances from this line to prevent any similar incidents from occurring.”