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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has condemned the latest Azerbaijani aggression which resulted in casualties.

Four Armenian soldiers were killed and another was wounded when their combat positions near the village of Nerkin Hand in Syunik Province came under Azerbaijani fire early on Tuesday.

At a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Pashinyan offered condolences to the killed servicemen’s families and friends and said that the shooting was “yet another manifestation of Azerbaijan’s destructive policy”.

He highlighted that Armenian police had launched an investigation into Azerbaijan’s allegations that one of its soldiers had been wounded by Armenian forces in the area on Monday, citing the defense minister’s order for the Armenian military to refrain from ceasefire violations and not give in to provocations.

“If the investigation reveals that a violation has taken place, there will be consequences,” the premier said.

“However, the next morning Azerbaijan opened intense fire on Armenian combat positions, which resulted in four deaths. The course of events shows that Azerbaijan’s intentions remain the same: to pursue a policy of military coercion against the Republic of Armenia. Azerbaijan doesn’t seem to display any interest in ensuring border stability and security.

"Our analysis shows that there can be only one reason for this - to start military actions along some border sections in order to escalate them into a large-scale war against Armenia," he stated.