Armenian authorities belatedly confirmed on Thursday that an Azerbaijani man crossed into Armenia and was arrested by them three days ago.
The National Security Service (NSS) said that the man identified by it as Yashar Qasimov entered Armenia’s northern Tavush province on Monday “as a result of getting lost.” It said Qasimov is a resident of a village in Azerbaijan’s Tovuz district bordering Tavush.
“Appropriate measures are being taken to repatriate the citizen of Azerbaijan,” the NSS added in a statement.
Azerbaijani media reported later in the day that Qasimov has been freed and sent back to Azerbaijan.
The Armenian TV station Fifth Channel was the first to report on the incident on Wednesday. It said that an Azerbaijani man was caught after being spotted by Armenian herdsmen outside the Tavush village of Aygedzor.
Some residents of Aygedzor and the nearby village of Chinari confirmed the report when contacted by RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. By contrast, the two village chiefs claimed to be unaware of the border crossing. Armenia’s Defense Ministry, the NSS and other law-enforcement bodies likewise refused to comment throughout Wednesday, prompting criticism from some opposition lawmakers in Yerevan.
Qasimov is a second Azerbaijani to have crossed the Armenian border in less than a month. An Azerbaijani soldier, Nasimi Musayev, was captured in the southeastern Syunik province on October 1 after shooting and seriously wounding a local resident inside her home.
The woman, Ani Avetisian, says that Musayev tried to kill her and two of her children after breaking into their house in the village of Shaki. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian effectively blamed Avetisian for the shooting, causing outrage among opposition leaders and other critics of the Armenian government who view her as a hero.
The critics also decried the fact that the soldier managed to cross the militarized border and advance deep into Armenian territory unnoticed. According to Azerbaijani authorities, Musayev deserted his military unit deployed on the Armenian border on September 26.