Armenian acting Nikol Pashinyan has presented plan for resolving border situation.
"My proposal is to reach an agreement on a quick, mirror-like withdrawal of the armed forces of both sides from the border. There is a difference in the perception of certain kilometers at the border," he noted.
"Instead, international observers representing Russia or the countries of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs will be deployed along the proposed border. The presence of observers is necessary for the parties to be sure that the other side is fulfilling the agreement, that is, it does not bring troops closer to the border. We are talking about a section of the Sotk-Khoznavar border, and it was on this section that tension arose."
"Thereafter, work to clarify the border will be carried out under the supervision of the international community. In this case, I believe that, again, there should be observers representing Russia or the OSCE Minsk Group, and this should take place under the auspices of Russia or the Minsk Group co-chairs."
"After the deployment of the observers, the next stage is work to clarify the boundaries from Sotk to Khoznavar. If the problem of Azerbaijan is really connected with the clarification of border points, then it should not have any grounds for abandoning this plan," he said.
According to him, the situation is tense, and the dynamics of this tension is growing and will continue to grow. "This is due to the fact that the Azerbaijani soldiers, who have already entered our territory for 15 days, and our soldiers are in a state of mutual penetration. That is, they not only stand face to face ... After today's incident, there is a possibility that representatives of our Armed Forces will also try to take them prisoner, then they will try to take retaliatory steps, and so on.
If the situation is not resolved, this provocation may inevitably escalate into a large-scale conflict. I want to propose a peaceful diplomatic solution to the situation that will lead to de-escalation.
Azerbaijan explains its actions by some maps at its disposal, our views on the location of border points differ. We certainly do not share this assessment. But since the situation has reached this explosive situation, I am making an open proposal to the international community. This proposal is also addressed to the government of Azerbaijan.
For our part, we are confident that international observers will be able to substantiate our position. Maybe they have their share of trust. But at this stage, we are talking about de-escalation and a peaceful diplomatic settlement of the situation.
This can be considered an official proposal from Russia, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and Azerbaijan. I hope it will be accepted. This is the shortest, most effective and reasonable way out of the situation. If we do not go this way, the situation will inevitably get out of control. We cannot allow this to happen. In addition to this proposal, we will also begin consultations with our international partners. We have already spoken on this topic with acting. Minister of Foreign Affairs. We hope that we will be able to quickly implement this proposal," he said.
