Ukraine’s ambassador in Yerevan was summoned to the Armenian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday after his government effectively blamed Armenia for the latest upsurge in tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry portrayed deadly fighting that broke out on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on Sunday as Armenian shelling of the Tovuz district in western Azerbaijan. A ministry statement called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to “de-escalate the situation” and seek a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
“The Ukrainian side advocates a political settlement of the situation based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders,” the statement added, echoing the Azerbaijani position on the conflict’s resolution.
According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian presented Yerevan’s “assessment” of that statement when spoke with Ukrainian Ambassador Ivan Kuleba.
Kocharian also briefed Kuleba on “the situation created as a result of Azerbaijan’s aggressive actions” and, in particular, shelling of Armenian villages and towns located close to the Azerbaijani border.
Ukraine’s current and former governments have repeatedly voiced support for Azerbaijan in the Karabakh conflict. For its part, Armenia has consistently voted against UN General Assembly resolutions condemning Russia’s actions in Crimea and upholding Ukrainian sovereignty over the Black Sea peninsula.