Two Indian nationals were wounded in Azerbaijani shootings at Yeraskh village in Armenia’s Ararat Province, bordering Azerbaijan's exclave Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. The victims were identified as Muhammad Asif and Mirhasan Sahajan.
Today, two Indian citizens Muhammad Asif and Mirhasan Sahajan, who were involved in the construction works of the plant, were wounded in the wake of the Azerbaijani fire in the direction of the metallurgical plant being built with the measures of foreign investments in Yeraskh.
According to the MOD, the attack happened on June 14 at around 11:45 AM local time. The duo was reportedly working at the construction site of a metallurgical plant in Yeraskh when they were caught under the cross-border gunfire, Aram Torosyan, MOD spokesperson said
Per Armenia's healthcare ministry, the condition of the two Indian nationals is moderate.
"The surgeries of the two foreigners involved in the construction works of the Yeraskh metallurgical plant, who were wounded by the shots fired by the Azerbaijani side, have been completed. The surgeries were successful. Their health condition is assessed as moderate," the healthcare ministry said.
They reportedly underwent surgeries at the Ararat city hospital.
According to reports in the local media, their injuries are not life-threatening. While one of them was wounded in the chest, the other received injuries on the shoulder.
Armenia's Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan had earlier said that the plant, spanning across an area of 16,500 square metres, is being built with a $70M investment. According to reports, an American businessman of Indian origin, Bobby Singh Kang, holds a 50% stake in the company.
Armenian diplomat Edmon Marukyan described Azerbaijan's actions as "outrageous behaviour" and "provocative."
"Azerbaijan opened fire at the vehicles and infrastructures of a plant being built in the sovereign territory of Armenia by a US-Armenian investment. Intensive fire continued for three hours. This is an outrageous behavior going against all efforts carried out towards the peace process and a gross violation of all commitments on non-use of force or even threat of use of force. We strongly condemn this provocative behavior and call for our international partners to take measures against Azerbaijan, including sanctions and direct calls for refraining from such destructive approach. The silence of international community or absence of unequivocally targeted measures on Azerbaijan may cause new aggressions against democratic Armenia," he wrote on Twitter.
Azerbaijan opened fire at the vehicles and infrastructures of a plant being built in the sovereign territory of Armenia by a US-Armenian investment. Intensive fire continued for three hours. This is an outrageous behavior going against all efforts carried out towards the peace… pic.twitter.com/v9YXrlVHEQ
— Edmon Marukyan (@edmarukyan) June 13, 2023
At the same time, the US State Department voiced concern after the two Indian nationals, affiliated with an American company, were wounded.
Meanwhile, Armenia has serious concerns that Azerbaijan could be preparing the ground for new aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia said in a statement on June 13.
Below is the full statement released by the foreign ministry.
“For a long time, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan has been spreading daily fake news about ceasefire violations by the Defense Army of Nagorno-Karabakh in the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"It is noteworthy that in the information materials published by the Russian peacekeepers, ceasefire violations only by Azerbaijan were recorded.
"Taking into account the already well established experience of Azerbaijan to provide "informational support" before carrying out the next acts of use of force and to artificially ascribe responsibility for future actions to the other party from the outset, the Republic of Armenia has serious concerns that the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan, despite all its own obligations, is preparing the ground for another aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.
"We call on the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation to strictly follow the observance of the ceasefire regime and investigate all the incidents voiced by Azerbaijan, publicly presenting the entire situation on the ground.
"At the same time, the Republic of Armenia reiterates its position on the necessity to send an international fact-finding mission to Nagorno-Karabakh, which can also provide reliable and unbiased information both about the situation in the line of contact between the sides and about the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, the latter resulting from Azerbaijan’s disruption of the functioning of the Lachin corridor through setting up an illegal checkpoint in violation of the regime established under November 9, 2020 Statement, blocking natural gas and electricity supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh as well as targeting by the Azerbaijani servicemen of citizens carrying out agricultural works and their machinery.
"The Republic of Armenia is convinced that addressing the issues of rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh within the framework of an international mechanism through the Baku-Stepanakert dialogue is urgent and should not be delayed, and calls on the international community to support this process.”
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