According to the information spread by the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan, from May 18 to 22 of this year, a large-scale operative-tactical exercise will be held in Azerbaijan. It is noteworthy that the military exercise is exclusively offensive, during which the massive artillery, air and high-precision weapons will be fired at the enemy’s operational depth.

The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Armenia calls the attention of OSCE, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and the international community to the fact that, according to the established tradition, the upcoming large-scale military exercises in Azerbaijan will take place without preliminary notification and this is another manifestation of neglect and gross violation of the 2011 Vienna Document, which serves as a measure for building confidence and strengthening security.

The Ministry of Defence of Armenia condemns Azerbaijan’s conduct of those military exercises escalating the security environment in the region, under the conditions of a global challenge for joint actions against the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the call of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish a global ceasefire.

We call on the Azerbaijani side to show restraint and respect the commitments assumed before the international community. At the same time, we inform that any attempt of military equipment and living forces to approach the state border with Armenia or the line of contact with Artsakh will be viewed as sabotage and will lead to appropriate consequences.