On 26 May, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a statement in relation to the death of one of its soldiers during the border standoff with Azerbaijan, calling the act a violation of the norms of international law. 

“Despite calls from the international community, Azerbaijan refuses to withdraw its armed forces from the sovereign territory of Armenia… further escalating the situation and undermining regional security and stability. The hostilities carried out by Azerbaijan in the sovereign territory of Armenia give the right to the Republic of Armenia to undertake the necessary and adequate steps to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to ensure the security of its population,” the MFA statement read. “It’s noteworthy that Azerbaijan tries to cover up these illegal military activities in the territory of Armenia by disseminating disinformation. The Armenian side is ready to engage in an international investigation to find out all the circumstances of this fatal incident,” it added. 

Armenia's Acting Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazyan received the ambassadors of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member states accredited in Armenia: Sergey Kopyrkin (Russia), Alexander Konyuk (Belarus) and Bolat Imanbaev (Kazakhstan). Ayvazyan told them that by disregarding the calls of the international community, Azerbaijan not only refuses to withdraw its armed forces from the territory of Armenia, but also resorts to new illegal actions against a CSTO member state. He said that the lack of a commensurate assessment and response to the deadly actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces by the international community, primarily the CSTO member states, would lead to further escalation of the situation, which could have the worst consequences in terms of regional security and stability. 

On 25 May, Armenian sergeant V. Khurshudyan (born in 1989) was shot dead in what authorities in Yerevan described as a skirmish with Azerbaijani forces that crossed into Armenia. Armenia’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) said that Khurshudyan was fatally wounded in a shootout that began after Azerbaijani troops fired shots at an Armenian military post near Verin Shorzha village in Gegharkunik region. The MOD also reported that the situation is currently under control. It was also reported that Armenia’s acting Defence Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan contacted his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoygu to discuss the situation. 

A spokesman for Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General, Gor Abrahamyan, said that a group of Azerbaijani soldiers approached Armenian servicemen manning a border post and demanded that they leave it before firing the gunshots that killed Khurshudyan. Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian urged all the relevant state structures to make every effort and take the strictest measures against the encroachments and border violations threatening the territorial integrity of Armenia. 

Azerbaijan’s MOD responded to the situation by debunking the information that was spread from Armenia. “The Ministry of Defence of Armenia has once again published fake reports about the alleged fire opened by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces near Verin Shorzha settlement of Gegharkunik region near the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. […] We state unambiguously that there has been no fire towards the other side. According to the information we have, the incident regarding the death of the Armenian serviceman happened due to an accident. The Azerbaijani side is in no way involved in it,” the Azerbaijani MOD statement read. Afterwards the MOD also reported that the Azerbaijan Army stationed in the Kalbajar and Gadabay regions were periodically subjected to fire from the Armenian positions in the Gegharkunik region, as well as that the Armenian soldiers shot in the air in the direction of Shusha. 

The Azerbaijani MFA urged Yerevan not to aggravate the situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border with false statements and to hold constructive talks to resolve disagreements. The ministry said that the recent increase in the Armenian army casualties necessitates an appropriate investigation. “In general, the recent increase in casualties among the Armenian armed forces, including non-military casualties, as well as the latest case necessitates appropriate investigations to be conducted within the armed forces of Armenia," the statement said. It added that currently, the situation on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border is stable and under control.