The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry alleged “intensive movements” of Armenian troops on Sunday, saying that they may be preparing for a “military provocation.” It warned that any such attempt “will be suppressed by the Azerbaijani army.”
Armenia’s Defense Ministry categorically denied the claims. The ministry said it does not need to reinforce the Armenian side of the border now because the situation there has been “stable” lately.
The EU monitoring mission deployed in Armenia also denied any Armenian military buildup along the frontier.
“[The EU Mission in Armenia] patrolled along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border all day long, everything is calm and quiet, no unusual movements observed,” it said in a short statement posted on the X social media platform.
The EU’s special representative to the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar, was quick to retweet the statement.
“Good to have confirmation from [the EU Mission in Armenia] that no unusual military movements have been observed,” he wrote. “That is what the purpose of the mission is: to provide greater transparency and build confidence. It remains open to more engagement also with the authorities of Azerbaijan.”
Baku stepped up its criticism of the mission and the EU as a whole last week ahead of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s trilateral meeting in Brussels with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken slated for April 5.
In a March 27 statement, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry portrayed the meeting as another evidence of the West’s pro-Armenian stance. It claimed that the United States and the EU are thus encouraging Yerevan to take “destabilizing actions” in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict zone. Both the U.S. and the EU denied that, saying that Blinken and von der Leyen will not be discussing security issues with Pashinian.
Some Armenian officials speculated that Baku could launch offensive military operations at the border to scuttle the unprecedented Brussels talks. Pashinian likewise claimed on Saturday that Azerbaijan is looking for “excuses to start a new, large-scale war in the region.”
Azerbaijani government-controlled media outlets reported last week that Baku will resort to military action soon unless the Armenian side withdraws from four disputed border areas. Klaar denounced the “threats against Armenia.”
Three weeks ago, Pashinian expressed readiness to unilaterally and unconditionally hand over those areas to Azerbaijan, sparking uproar from residents of adjacent Armenian villages and his political opponents.