The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NKR MFA) has issued a statement in connection with the downing of an Armenian helicopter near the Line of Contact with Azerbaijan. 

“The destruction of the helicopter is an unprecedented violation of the ceasefire regime, and which is fraught with a major escalation of tension at the conflict zone.  

“Azerbaijan’s criminal and adventurous provocation was not only a flagrant violation of the Azerbaijani party’s commitments in the quest for a peaceful settlement to the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, but it displayed its outright contempt of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing states and, in general, the international community.        

“This incident yet again highlights the need to intensify the efforts toward the urgent measures to strengthen the ceasefire regime,” the NKR MFA statement specifically runs.

An NKR Air Force helicopter was shot down on Wednesday, and as a result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani armed forces. The helicopter was downed during a training flight in the airspace of the eastern sector close to the Karabakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact. As a result, three pilots were killed: The commander of the helicopter, Major Sergey Sahakyan, and Senior Lieutenant Sargis Nazaryan and Lieutenant Azat Sahakyan.