Border tension dropped significantly after Pashinyan-Aliyev agreement in Tajikistan, says caretaker defense minister

The border tension has significantly decreased after the agreement of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe, Tajikistan and an operative communication exists between the two countries, caretaker defense minister Davit Tonoyan told reporters ahead of parliamentary debates on the 2019 state budget.

“Border tension has significantly dropped after the Dushanbe agreements. An operative communication – telephone communication – exists between the two sides. We call immediately in the event of incidents of concern to us or the Azerbaijani side, movements or actions, in order to stop,” Tonoyan said, adding that until now this communication has been constructive.

But he mentioned that there is no direct communication between Pashinyan and Aliyev.

He said that the Armenian side immediately reacts when the Azerbaijan side is carrying out reinforcement of positions.

Pashinyan and Aliyev agreed on the sidelines of the CIS summit in Tajikistan to de-escalate the situation at the border and prevent incidents.