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Armenia’s Human Rights Defender (Ombudsman) Arman Tatoyan believes the call of the Foreign Ministry on the mirrored withdrawal of troops from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border ignores human rights.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement late on Tuesday that “one of the ways to avoid further escalation of the situation may be the mirrored withdrawal of troops from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and introduction of an international monitoring mechanism along the border.”

The statement came after the fresh Azerbaijani attack on Armenian combat positions in the eastern border area, leaving three Armenian servicemen killed and two others wounded.

At a news conference on Wednesday, Tatoyan stated Armenia’s official approach is wrong and runs counter to human rights mechanisms.

“It begs the question where to and where from our forces should withdraw. The line of contact runs through the homes and land plots of our citizens in many areas," he noted.

The ombudsman urged Armenian military and political officials to stop considering issues related to border security and human rights protection only from a political and military perspective, stating the issue of people's security cannot be "separated’ from them.

“Our state policy must be based on human rights protection mechanisms," he said.

Tatoyan reiterated that the real cause of all ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan is its state-sponsored policy of Armenophobia and enmity.

He stated the policy of Armenophobia will not end because it is the source of the political life of the Azerbaijani authorities and the guarantee of Azerbaijani officials’ political life. It is used by Azerbaijani authorities to distract their people from their own problems, he explained.

“In the current circumstances, all peace-loving statements made by Azerbaijan are false,” Tatoyan said.

"Without guarantees for the protection of our rights, we may face bigger problems. In this regard, I would like to note that the main guarantee is the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces, which must be substantiated by human rights protection mechanisms,” the ombudsman said.