Month: September 2020

The Armenian people are ready to strike a proportional counterattack at the opponent. Armenia is the guarantor of the security and independence of the Artsakh Republic (Nagorno Karabakh).  We will make every possible and impossible effort to keep the borders of our homeland inviolable, to protect our freedom and independence.

Armenia, a signatory to the ceasefire agreement of 1994, will take necessary actions in the political, diplomatic and military arenas to ensure the physical security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh and to impose peace on the adversary.

We are fully aware that the Azerbaijani dictatorship may launch military operations in the direction of the borders of Armenia as well and resort to various provocations to completely destabilize the situation in the region. This is the reason why Armenia’s government has declared a state of martial law and urged a general mobilization.

I call on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the international community to see the gravity of the situation. The outbreak of a large-scale war in the South Caucasus, which we are now on the verge of, could have the most unpredictable consequences. It could go beyond the borders of the region and reach a much larger scale, threatening international security and stability.

I call on the international community to use all available leverages to refrain Turkey from any possible intervention, which will ultimately destabilize the situation in the region. Turkey's aggressive behavior, which was extremely dangerous especially during the July events and continues today, is a matter of serious concern.

Maintaining such a dangerous stance by Turkey has the most devastating consequences for the South Caucasus and the surrounding regions. The international community must work together to prevent the dangerous development of events and to refrain from any attempts to destabilize the region.

Moscow, Paris, Washington DC, 27  September 2020 – The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) made the following statement: 

The Co-Chairs view with concern reports of large scale military actions along the Line of Contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.  We strongly condemn the use of force and regret the senseless loss of life, including civilians. The Co-Chairs appeal to the sides to cease hostilities immediately and to resume negotiations to find a sustainable resolution of the conflict.

The Co-Chairs call on the sides to take all necessary measures to stabilize the situation on the ground and reiterate that there is no alternative to a peaceful negotiated solution of the conflict. 

Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is concerned about the humanitarian impact of the conflict escalation along the line of contact, which started in the morning of . There are civilians among the casualties reported on both sides. 

The ICRC calls on the sides to take all measures necessary to ensure that civilian life and infrastructure is respected and protected, in line with their obligation to respect basic rules of international humanitarian law.

“We reiterate our commitment to assist and support those affected by this escalation as well as to act as a neutral intermediary”, said regional director Martin Schüepp. “We urge the sides to exercise all the efforts possible at all times to abide by the principles of the international humanitarian law”.

The ICRC has been present in the region since 1992 carrying out humanitarian work in the region in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Through the delegations in Baku and Yerevan and the mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, the ICRC supports communities living along the line of contact and international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The ICRC also works to clarify the fate of missing persons and help their families, visits detainees and acts as a neutral intermediary to facilitate transfer and repatriation of released persons.

Statement by James Appathurai, the Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia

NATO is deeply concerned by reports of large scale military hostilities along the line of contact in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone. The sides should immediately cease hostilities, which have already caused civilian casualties. There is no military solution to this conflict. The parties should resume negotiations towards a peaceful resolution. NATO supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Azerbaijan launched an offensive along the entire Line of Contact between Azerbaijan and Karabakh, on September 27. The capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, Stepanakert, as well as other residential areas, were bombarded. Civilian casualties have already been reported.

CivilNet’s Ani Paitjan talks with journalist and colleague Tatul Hakobyan about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.