YEREVAN. – The incident happened because our shepherd approached the positions and there was a scuffle there, then it was settled. Acting Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan on Wednesday stated this in the National Assembly of Armenia, speaking about the recent incident in Aravus village of Syunik Province—and involving Azerbaijani soldiers.

Harutyunyan assured that the border envisaged by the ex-Soviet Union and recognized independent Armenia is fully protected. "There are places where we are 50 meters ahead, there are places where it is the opposite. The positions are back and forth, as they cannot be placed somewhere that ensures security and monitoring. Border changes are very small. These issues must be resolved during the demarcation," he said.

"In order to exclude the incidents, the relevant bodies should carry out awareness-raising work with the citizens, say there is no need to approach the positions. This is the life of a natural line of contact. The important thing is that there are no incidents that lead to casualties and injuries," Harutyunyan added.