Pashinyan and Aliyev Seen Laughing Together as Armenian Mother Recovers a Week After Being Shot by an Azerbaijani Soldier

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev were seen sitting together, talking and laughing during a two-day visit to Turkmenistan, just one week after an Azerbaijani soldier illegally crossed into Armenia and shot a mother who was trying to protect her children.

The two leaders traveled to Turkmenistan for a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on October 8-9. Their interactions were captured in videos circulated on media.

At an official reception Thursday, Pashinyan sat between Aliyev and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Footage showed the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders engaged in conversation, though neither government disclosed what they discussed.

The following day, another video showed the three leaders talking and laughing as they gathered for a group photograph ahead of the summit. In footage released by the Belarusian side, Lukashenko joked to Aliyev about Pashinyan, saying, "He will not escape from us."

The exchanges came against the backdrop of a shooting in Shaki, a village in Armenia's southern Syunik province, on October 1.

According to Armenian authorities, Azerbaijani serviceman Nasimi Rahim oghlu Musayev illegally crossed the border, entered a family home and opened fire after being discovered.

The shooting seriously injured Ani Avetisyan, a 39-year-old mother of two who had rushed home after learning that an armed stranger was inside with her children.

Avetisyan's sister, Arpi Avetisyan, told Armenian media that the soldier had threatened the children with his weapon. Their mother confronted him to protect them and was shot in the thigh and hand, losing three fingers on her left hand.

Both children also suffered injuries. One sustained a fractured wrist, while the other was treated for bruising.

Musayev fled the house but was later apprehended by Armenian police. He faces several criminal charges, including illegal border crossing, unlawful entry into a residence, firearms offenses and causing serious bodily harm. A court ordered him held in pretrial detention for two months.

Armenia's National Security Service confirmed that Azerbaijani authorities had warned Yerevan on September 29 that a serviceman had left his military unit and might have crossed into Armenian territory. Both countries conducted searches, but Musayev was not found before the shooting.

The incident prompted questions about how the armed soldier managed to remain undetected despite the advance warning.

On October 7, a day before leaving for Turkmenistan, Pashinyan addressed the case in parliament. He acknowledged a mother's instinct to protect her children but said that when police are called, citizens should wait for law enforcement officers to act.

His comments came as Avetisyan remained hospitalized in Yerevan. On October 8, Armenia's Health Ministry said her condition was stable and her life was no longer in danger.

Before departing for Turkmenistan, Pashinyan told reporters that no formal meeting with Aliyev had been scheduled, although he expected the two leaders to have contact during the summit.

Their public interactions took place as Armenia and Azerbaijan continued efforts to finalize a peace agreement. The two countries initialed the text of a U.S.-brokered agreement at the White House in August 2025, but it has yet to be formally signed.

During the summit, Pashinyan also spoke about unresolved humanitarian issues between the two countries, including missing persons and detainees.

Meanwhile, Russian newspaper Kommersant reported Friday that Pashinyan, Aliyev and Russian President Vladimir Putin had held a private meeting in Turkmenistan. Pashinyan's spokesperson, Melanya Harutyunyan, denied the report, saying no such trilateral meeting had taken place.

Neither Yerevan nor Baku has publicly confirmed whether the Shaki shooting was discussed during the leaders' informal conversations.

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