By Alexander Pracht
Observers from the European Union Monitoring Mission in Armenia (EUMA) recorded damage to civilian infrastructure in the Armenian border-straddling village of Khoznavar in the southern Syunik region as a result of gunfire, the mission announced Monday.
“Over the Easter weekend, EUMA conducted 27 day and night patrols in its Area of Operation including villages Khoznavar, Khnatsakh and Aravus. In Khoznavar, EUMA observed the impact of two shots damaging civilian infrastructure, possibly originating from an Azerbaijani position in the area.,” the statement said.
The Armenian Defense Ministry reported on Monday that Azerbaijani forces had opened fire in the direction of Khoznavar at approximately 2:30 a.m. the previous day, damaging a solar-powered water heater installed on the roof of a residential house in the village.
The Sunday incident came less than a week after a separate shooting damaged a public building in the nearby village of Khnatsakh on April 13, according to Armenian officials.
EUMA was deployed to Armenia in 2023 to monitor the situation along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and contribute to stability in the region. Its presence has been consistently opposed by Baku that accused it of political pressure and espionage.
Last month, Armenia and Azerbaijan separately announced that they had agreed on the contents of a normalization deal, but Azerbaijan continues to impose preconditions before signing, the most contentious being major amendments to Armenia’s constitution. Since then, Baku has accused Yerevan of initiating cross-border shootouts almost daily, while Azerbaijani forces continue to target Armenian villages.
Unlike Azerbaijan, the Armenian side has presented multiple photos showing damage from Azerbaijani gunfire, as well as bullets, and says it remains open to establishing a joint investigative mechanism to address incidents. Azerbaijan has so far ignored the proposal.
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