Armenia’s Defense Ministry announces that the Armenian Armed Forces do not exclude the possibility of using force if the Azerbaijani military does not leave the territory of the country within a reasonable time, informs the Ministry of Defense of Armenia in a statement.

The statement runs as follows,

“The situation after the provocations carried out by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on May 12 and 13 has not changed as of the evening of May 18. The situation is relatively calm.

The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia emphasizes the need for a peaceful settlement of the issue, highly appreciates the efforts made by various countries and international organizations in that direction, taking into account their calls for a peaceful solution. In this regard, the talks launched on May 14 are still ongoing.

However, in the absence of a peaceful settlement within a reasonable time, that is, in the event that the Azerbaijani military does not return to their starting positions without preconditions, the RA Armed Forces reserve the right to resolve the issue through other means, including force.

Once we declare that any encroachment on the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia is absolutely unacceptable, the Azerbaijani military is obliged to leave the territory of the Republic of Armenia.”