YEREVAN, JULY 13, ARMENPRESS. Member of the Armenian parliamentary standing committee on defense and security affairs Tigran Karapetyan says the Azerbaijani military-political leadership in fact has not learned lessons from the “slap” received on July 12.

“Well, the choice is theirs, the response is going to be very painful”, the lawmaker said during the special session of the Parliament, reminding that the Azerbaijani armed forces have shelled also the town of Chinari in Tavush province.

The MP said yesterday, on July 12, the Armenian Armed Forces refrained from firing any shell to the direction of peaceful settlements. The fire has been completely directed towards the engineering structures and the military equipment. “Unfortunately, we have to respond, and the response will be very painful. Azerbaijan is using attacking UAVs in the frontline, fires shots from various caliber weapons towards our positions, it has just targeted also Chinari. Fortunately, we have no losses and wounded, the roof of a house was damaged. Therefore, we will have to give a painful response”, the lawmaker said.

He reminded that the Armenian side is repeating for two years that the negotiation table is the only way of solving the Artsakh conflict. “But at the same time we state for two years that we are ready for any scenario. The Armenian Army has changed a lot within two years. We are capable of downing any target in the territory of Azerbaijan, any object of strategic significance. The leadership of Armenia will not doubt for and will not think about the sovereignty of Armenia and Artsakh for a second to give an order to destroy any target. This adventurism will have irreversible consequences for Azerbaijan”, he said.

In addition to the provocative operations launched on July 12 on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the Azerbaijani armed forces also fired seven 82 mm mortar shells at the Armenian town of Chinari in Tavush province. No casualties have been reported. Only the roof of one of the civilian houses has been damaged. Later today the Azerbaijani forces also fired three 120 mm mortar shells at Chinari, one of the shells hit a house, two hit the yard. No casualties have been reported.

Reporting by Anna Grigoryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan