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Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has denounced Tuesday’s Azerbaijani border provocation which left four Armenian soldiers killed and six others wounded.

Armenian troops came under Azerbaijani fire while conducting engineering work near Tegh, a border village in southeastern Syunik Province, the Defense Ministry said.

At the start of a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Pashinyan asked its members to hold a minute’s silence in tribute to the deceased servicemen.

“Azerbaijan's actions are provocative and run counter to the statements adopted in Prague and Sochi in 2022,” the premier said.

He highlighted the EU statement on the border clashes which urges respect for the 1991 border line between the two countries.

“It is about the administrative border line between the Armenian SSR and the Azerbaijani SSR which was transformed into a state border by the Almaty Declaration on December 21, 1991. The EU says this line must be respected and calls for the withdrawal of both countries’ troops to safe distances from this line as a strong guarantee for a stable situation,” Pashinyan noted.

"Armenia is ready to take such steps along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. We have been expressing our readiness since 2021 in line with the Prague and Sochi agreements,” he stressed.

Pashinyan underscored that the implementation of these measures is hindered by Azerbaijan's destructive approach as the country fails to fulfil the agreements reached on international platforms.