Defense Ministry Confirms Special Communication Exists Between Armenia and Azerbaijan Defense Ministries

Recently, the situation has been tense not only in Artsakh but also along the southeastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani contact line in Nerkhin Hand, where the Azerbaijani side has advanced its positions. Hetq.am reports that on November 19, 2021, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with Charles Michel, President of the European Council. Following the conversation, the European Council released a statement indicating that an agreement had been reached to establish direct communication at the level of the defense ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid incidents.

Considering the recent situation, Hetq sent an inquiry to Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, asking whether the special communication mentioned by Charles Michel had, in fact, been established between the defense ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and whether direct communication had taken place between the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides through this channel.

In a response signed by the Ministry of Defense’s Chief Secretary Hamlet Batikyan, it was stated that the above-mentioned special communication has been established between the defense ministries of Armenia and Azerbaijan, adding that it is “not possible to provide substantive information due to the security of the communication regime.”

Interestingly, in the European Council's statement, it was clearly indicated that the special communication would be established between the defense ministers of both countries, whereas the Armenian Ministry of Defense uses the term “between ministries” in its response. Therefore, it is unclear whether Suren Papikyan and Zakir Hasanov are communicating at different ends of the phone line, as European officials previously indicated.

The Ministry of Defense also declined to respond regarding the means of communication used by the sides—whether it is by phone, video call, or another method. The ministry did not indicate the last time the sides established contact or whether it has been possible to prevent possible clashes along the contact line through this communication.

According to the defense department, “the situation on the state border of the RA is stable,” and “joint work is continuously being conducted with the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in Artsakh to prevent and resolve incidents occurring in the border areas of Artsakh.”

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