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On the night of September 13, a new wave of hostilities broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The Armenian Defense Ministry claimed that Azerbaijani forces began shelling the border villages of Sotka, Goris and Jermuk located in the south-eastern regions of the republic. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces reportedly shelled military and civilian facilities on the Armenian territory with artillery and UAVs.
Pashinyan later clarified that 49 people were killed as a result of the shelling, claiming that the number of casualties may grow.
As a result of the Azerbaijani strikes, a fire broke out at the ammunition depot of the Armenian army in the Jermuk area:
In turn, Azerbaijan blamed the Armenian military for mining the supply routes of the Azerbaijani army last night and firing at several Azerbaijani military positions in the Dashkesan, Kelbajar and Lachin directions. According to Baku, several Azerbaijani servicemen were killed. As a result of the attacks, clashes broke out in the areas.
Firefighting has been reportedly ongoing for several hours in the areas near Vardenis, Sotk, Artanish, Ishkhanasar, Goris and Kapan.
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The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the warring sides had agreed to a cease-fire through Russian mediation from 9 am Moscow time.
“We proceed from the fact that all disputed issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan should be resolved exclusively through political and diplomatic means, and in the part concerning border issues – within the framework of the work of the bilateral Commission on the delimitation of the Armenian—Azerbaijani border with the advisory assistance of Russia,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Trend news agency later reported that the clashes allowed the Azerbaijani military to “ensure control over a number of important strategic positions and hills in the border zone that were not demarcated.” The Azerbaijani military also took “a number of strategic communications passing through the territory of Armenia under visual and fire control.” The exact locations were not revealed.
Illustrative Image: Nikol Pashinyan Source: Artem Geodakyan/TASS
Last night, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was busy calling his counterparts all around the world.
He had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Pashinyan’s press service noted that the leaders agreed to maintain operational contact. The Security Council of Armenia has decided to officially appeal to Russia for help in connection with the aggravation on the border with Azerbaijan and to use the provisions of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, to appeal to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the UN Security Council.
Pashinyan also discussed the situation with French President Emmanuel Macron, who stressed the need to achieve de-escalation.
After talks with Putin and Macron, Pashinyan also called Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. He reportedly informed the US official about the appeal to Russia, the CSTO and the UN Security Council, and also expressed hope for an “adequate response” from the world community. Blinken, in turn, expressed deep concern about the situation and said that the United States is ready to make efforts to stabilize the situation, the press service of the Armenian Prime minister reported.
Pashinyan also called the President of the European Council Charles Michel, who also expressed readiness to help Armenia.
Pashinyan also discussed the situation on the border with Azerbaijan with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, who noted that the country is closely monitoring developments, and conflicts should be resolved peacefully.
In turn, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov called his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu. Azerbaijani Defense Minister Zakir Hasanov also held talks with Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who said that Ankara “as always supports Azerbaijan.”
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) began “to activate the organization’s mechanisms” to resolve the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, CSTO Spokesman Vladimir Zainetdinov reported. The organization believes that the use of force to resolve the situation is unacceptable.
France, which has been chairing the UN Security Council since September 1, has promised to bring the issue for consideration, the Elysee Palace reported.
