NATO, EU concerned about deadly incident in Artsakh

NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Javier Colomina has reacted to Sunday’s deadly incident in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

Three Artsakh police officers were killed and another was wounded after an Azerbaijani sabotage group ambushed their vehicle near Stepanakert on Sunday morning.

Two Azeri soldiers were killed in the ensuing firefight which was stopped by Russian peacekeepers stationed in Artsakh.

“Very concerned with reports of deadly incident in vicinity of Khankendi/Stepanakert,” Colomina said in a tweet on Monday.

“This incident demonstrates the urgency to find solutions for outstanding issues at the negotiation table. NATO supports the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” he added.

EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano also deplored the deadly incident in Karabakh.

“The EU deplores the outbreak of violence yesterday on the Karabakh Line of Contact, which led to at least five deaths,” he said in a statement on Monday.

“The circumstances surrounding this deadly incident need to be fully investigated.

“We urge all stakeholders to show restraint in order to prevent any further actions which could further undermine regional stability and threaten the peace process,” reads the statement.