VIDEO: Armenia vows ‘grave consequences’ as footage of helicopter downing revealed

BAKU

Armenian media reported that the helicopter’s three crew members were killed. DHA Photo

Armenia threatened “grave consequences” Nov. 12 after Azerbaijani forces shot down a military helicopter, as seen in recently revealed footage that shows the incident.        

Armenian media reported the helicopter’s three crew members were killed.

“A MI-24 combat helicopter attempted to attack positions of the Azerbaijani army near [Karabakh’s] Agdam district,” Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said in a statement.

“The helicopter was shot down by the Azerbaijani army,” it said, adding that the wreckage fell on territory held by ethnic Armenians.

Yerevan vowed that Baku would face “grave consequences,” fueling fears that the incident might seriously undermine a shaky peace.  

“This is an unprecedented escalation and the consequences for Azerbaijan will be grave,” said Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovannisyan.

“Azerbaijan’s claim that the Armenian helicopter attacked its positions is not true. Examination of the wreckage will prove that the helicopter carried no weapons,” he told Agence France-Presse.

The downing of the helicopter belonging to the army of the breakaway ethnic Armenian region is the most serious incident on the Karabakh border since a 1994 cease-fire ended a bloody war that cost 30,000 lives.