Azerbaijan’s recent attacks along the Nagorno-Karabakh frontline were tantamount to the atrocities committed by the Islamic State terrorists in the Middle East, Armenia’s foreign minister said in Chisinau, Moldova,

In his speech at an informal meeting of the Eastern Partnership member states’ foreign ministers, Edward Nalbandian also condemned the Azerbaijan authorities for using their civilian population as a human shield for provoking violence in the conflict zone.

He added that the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army had to take a retaliatory action amid the escalating tension on July 4 to push back the adversary and ensure its self-defense.

“As long as Azerbaijan fails to abide by its international commitments under 1994-1995 trilateral ceasefire agreements, refuses to implement the Vienna and St. Petersburg Summit commitments, especially on the creation of the mechanism for investigation of the ceasefire violations, that can become also a mechanism for prevention, the Azerbaijani leadership bears full responsibility for all consequences,” Nalbandian said, according to the Foreign Ministry’s press service.