I cannot say more than what has already been announced, because the matter is now under the jurisdiction of the Investigative Committee, and I cannot disclose anything new in the interest of the investigation. Defense Minister Suren Papikyan stated this while speaking with reporters Monday in the National Assembly—and referring to the incident on December 12 when an Armenian serviceman sustained a gunshot wound to the head and died.

“Of course, I regret the incident, but I cannot say anything new,” he added, noting only that the incident had occurred in the northeastern sector.

Addressing the question on possible tensions at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border ahead of the New Year, Papikyan said: “I do not think there is any reason to be concerned about tensions now. The border is very calm, and we are preparing for the New Year. Yes, naturally during the holidays the service is more vigilant. But also taking into account the weather conditions—the wind, the [snow]storm, today the [Armenian] armed forces have other concerns, and we are busy with our daily tasks. Now the problem is the wind and the [snow]storm.

If there is no snow in [the capital] Yerevan or its surrounding provinces, there is snow in the highland areas, we have [military] positions up to 3,500 meters in altitude. Keep in mind that snow there melts only in summer, and a layer of snow can also be seen [there] from October onward.”

And when asked how they deal with snow and snowstorms, Armenia’s defense minister replied: “Through consistency. All our [military] positions, roads to the positions are constantly closing, and everything is done so that the roads leading to the military positions always be open.”