Baku warns Azerbaijani soldier's death may disrupt Karabakh peace process
BAKU/YEREVAN. June 10 (Interfax) - The killing of an Azerbaijani military serviceman in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, for which the Armenian side is responsible, may disrupt the negotiating process aimed at settling the situation in the region, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday.
"Yet another bloody act purposefully committed by warmongers [...] in the run-up to the next meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers via the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs serves to disrupt the negotiating process and escalate tensions," the statement said.
"All responsibility for this scenario rests with Armenia," it said.
It was reported earlier that a serviceman of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces had been killed in Karabakh on Sunday by a shot from the Armenian side directed toward the Tartar district.
The Armenian Defense Ministry said its head, Davit Tonoyan, awarded the troops who took "punitive actions" in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone after an Armenian serviceman had been killed on the line of contact.
"Tonoyan nominated the servicemen who carried out punitive actions for the death of serviceman Sipan Melkonyan, who died from the enemy's shots, for high awards. The instructions were fulfilled at a high level," Defense Ministry press secretary Artsrun Hovhannisyan wrote on Facebook.
The Armenian serviceman was killed in Nagorno-Karabakh on June 1.