ArmInfo. ''We are very concerned by the loss of life that the violation of the cease-fire between Armenia and Azerbaijan has caused'' said the PACE monitoring co-rapporteur for Armenia, Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland, SOC), and the co-rapporteurs for Azerbaijan, Stefan Schennach (Austria, SOC) and Sir Roger Gale (United Kingdom, EC/DA), in a joint statement.
''We remind both countries that facilitating peace is a commitment they took on when they became members of the Council of Europe. We therefore urge them to show the restraint needed on the ground to de-escalate the situation and to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric'', they added.
''We also call on both countries to resume peace talks in the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, in the manner indicated by its co-Chairs in their statement of 15 July: creating an atmosphere conducive to the peace process, holding negotiations on a settlement for Nagorno-Karabakh, and allowing the return of OSCE monitors to the region''. they concluded.
To recall, the clashes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border took place on July 12 and continued until July 15. After a slight calm on the night of July 15-16, clashes resumed. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan subjected Armenian border villages to artillery shelling. As a result of these actions, a civilian in the village of Chinari was injured, and civilian infrastructure was also damaged. According to official figures, 4 military personnel were killed on the Armenian side, and 12 on the Azerbaijani side. Armenian Armed Forces reported the destruction of 13 Azerbaijani drones, including one Israeli Elbit Hermes 900. On July 17, the situation at the front line is relatively calm.