Friday,
Another Rights Group Condemns Use Of Cluster Bombs Against Karabakh Civilians
• Armen Koloyan
Armenia- A building damaged by recent shelling in Stepanakert, 17Oct2020
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Azerbaijan on Friday of repeatedly using widely
banned cluster munitions in the shelling of civilian areas in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“During an on-site investigation in Nagorno-Karabakh in October 2020, Human
Rights Watch documented four incidents in which Azerbaijan used cluster
munitions,” the U.S.-based group said in a report.
The report says that HRW researchers have identified the “remnants of
Israeli-produced LAR-160 series cluster munition rockets” in the Karabakh
capital Stepanakert and the town of Hadrut and examined damage caused by them.
“Azerbaijan received these surface-to-surface rockets and launchers from Israel
in 2008–2009,” it says.
“The continued use of cluster munitions – particularly in populated areas –
shows flagrant disregard for the safety of civilians,” said Stephen Goose, the
head of HRW’s arms division sector.
“The repeated use of cluster munitions by Azerbaijan should cease immediately as
their continued use serves to heighten the danger for civilians for years to
come,” Goose said.
London-based Amnesty International also condemned the use of cluster rockets
against residential areas in Karabakh following the September 27 outbreak of
large-scale hostilities between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. In an October 5
statement, it described the practice as “appalling and unacceptable.”
Azerbaijan denounced the Amnesty statement, insisting that the Azerbaijani army
is not deliberately targeting Karabakh civilians.
“Azerbaijani officials have accused the Armenian side of using cluster munitions
in this conflict, but Human Rights Watch has not independently verified those
claims,” says the HRW report. It says the Azerbaijani authorities have refused
to allow HRW to conduct a similar on-site investigation on
Azerbaijani-controlled territory.
“Neither Armenia, nor Nagorno-Karabakh de-facto authorities, are known to
stockpile cluster munitions but they possess multi-barrel rocket launchers
capable of delivering these weapons,” it concludes the report.
According to officials in Stepanakert, the war has left nearly 40 Karabakh
civilians dead so far. Thousands of others have taken refuge in Armenia.
The fighting has also gravely affected many residents of Azerbaijani cities and
villages north and east of Karabakh. The Azerbaijani authorities have reported
more than 60 deaths among them.
France Demands End To Turkish ‘Provocations’ In Karabakh
FRANCE - French President Emmanuel Macron, wearing a protective face mask,
welcomes Armenian President Armen Sarkissian for a meeting at the Elysee Palace
in Paris, France,
France stepped up on Friday criticism of Turkey’s role in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, saying that it is hampering international efforts to stop fighting
between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces.
“Our objective is clear: to see the ceasefire applied,” French government
spokesman Gabriel Attal said after President Emmanuel Macron met with his
Armenian counterpart Armen Sarkissian in Paris.
“The President [Macron] is working closely with [Russian President] Vladimir
Putin for this,” tweeted Attal. “The solution to this conflict can only be found
in appeasement. That is why it is imperative that Turkey cease its dangerous
provocations in the region.”
Shortly after the outbreak of large-scale hostilities in and around Karabakh on
September 27 Macron accused Turkey of recruiting jihadist fighters in Syria and
sending them to Azerbaijan. "I urge all NATO partners to face up to the behavior
of a NATO member,” the French leader said on October 1.
The Turkish and Azerbaijani governments rejected the French accusations backed
by Armenia. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev accused Macron of pro-Armenian
bias.
France, Russia and the United States have for decades led international efforts
to resolve the Karabakh conflict in their capacity as co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group. The three mediating powers have repeatedly called for an immediate
end to the ongoing war.
The situation in the conflict zone was the main focus of Macron’s talks with
Sarkissian. A statement by the Armenian presidential press office said the two
leaders agreed on the need for an unconditional implementation of
Armenian-Azerbaijani ceasefire agreements that were brokered by Moscow and Paris
earlier this month.
The statement cited Sarkissian as saying that Turkey’s military support for
Azerbaijan is “further escalating the situation and endangering regional peace
and stability.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said last week that “the only country
which isn’t calling for respect of the ceasefire is Turkey.”
Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay told the CNN Turk broadcaster on Wednesday
that Ankara will not hesitate to send troops to Azerbaijan if such a request is
made by Baku.
Moscow, Yerevan Want Removal Of ‘Foreign Fighters’ From Karabakh Conflict Zone
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- A view shows a fragment of an artillery shell at the
fighting positions of ethnic Armenian soldiers on the front line during a
military conflict against Azerbaijan's armed forces, October 20, 2020.
Senior Russian and Armenian diplomats demanded the immediate removal of foreign
mercenaries from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone when they discussed
continuing hostilities there on Friday.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg
Syromolotov and the Armenian ambassador in Moscow, Vartan Toghanian, “exchanged
thoughts in the context of the continuing escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict zone.”
“They emphasized the unacceptability of the deployment to the region of
militants of illegal armed groups from a number of Middle Eastern and North
African countries and the necessity of their immediate withdrawal from there,”
the ministry said in a short statement.
RUSSIA -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov attends an
international conference in Moscow, September 3, 2018
Russia implicitly accused Turkey of recruiting “terrorists and mercenaries” from
Syria and Libya for the Azerbaijani army shortly after the outbreak of the
ongoing war over Karabakh on September 27. The Russian foreign intelligence
chief, Sergei Naryshkin, warned on October 6 that the region could become a
“launch pad” for Islamist militants to enter Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his foreign and defense ministers have
raised the matter with their Turkish counterparts in phone calls reported in
recent weeks.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that
Russian “military experts” and other officials are serious dealing with “this
issue.” She did not elaborate.
“I can assure you that very active work is being done in a non-public manner,”
Zakharova told reporters. “This is a really serious problem for us.”
Ankara strongly denies sending members of Turkish-backed groups to fight in
Karabakh on Azerbaijan’s side. Baku also denies the presence of such mercenaries
in the Azerbaijani army ranks.
Multiple reports by Western media have quoted members of Islamist rebel groups
in areas of northern Syria under Turkish control as saying over the past month
that they are deploying to Azerbaijan in coordination with the Turkish
government.
Trump Claims Progress Towards Karabakh Truce
U.S. - U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to journalists in the Oval Office at
the White House in Washington, .
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke of “really good progress” made in
international efforts to stop the war over Nagorno-Karabakh after U.S. Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo met with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in
Washington on Friday.
Reuters reported that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with
Pompeo for about 40 minutes. Moments after he left, Armenian Foreign Minister
Zohrab Mnatsakanian arrived for his meeting.
Pompeo tweeted after the separate talks that he discussed with Mnatsakanian and
Bayramov “critical steps to halt violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”
“Both [sides] must implement a ceasefire and return to substantive
negotiations,” he wrote.
Pompeo did not report any fresh Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements that effect.
The U.S. State Department spokeswoman, Morgan Ortagus, said separately that
Pompeo believes a Karabakh settlement should be based on “the Helsinki Final Act
principles of the non-use or threat of force, territorial integrity, and the
equal rights and self-determination of peoples.”
U.S. - U.S.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Armenian Foreign Minister
Zohrab Mnatsakanian in Washington, .
According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Mnatsakanian told Pompeo that
Azerbaijan is unwilling to respect ceasefire agreements and is seeking a
military solution to the Karabakh conflict. He also condemned Turkey’s military
support for Azerbaijan.
For his part, Bayramov was reported to brief Pompeo on Azerbaijan’s “just
position” and Armenia’s “destructive policy” on the Karabakh conflict.
Meanwhile, Trump said Washington is “working with Armenia” with regard to
de-escalating the conflict.
“We have a very good relationship with Armenia,” Trump told reporters at the
White Hose. “They are very good people, they are so dedicated. They are
incredible people, and we will see what happens.”
“I think really good progress is being made with respect to that,” he said. “We
have a lot of people living in this country originally from Armenia. They are
great people and we’re going to help them.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope on Thursday that the U.S. will
assist Russia in its efforts to get the conflicting parties to respect a
ceasefire agreement that was brokered by Moscow on October 10.
U.S. -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets with Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Ceyhun Bayramov to discuss the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, at the
State Department in Washington,
The U.S. Russia and France have been leading international efforts to resolve
the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in their capacity as co-chairs of the OSCE
Minsk Group. They have repeatedly issued joint statements calling for an
immediate end to the hostilities.
The hostilities continued unabated on Friday, with both sides reporting heavy
fighting at various sections of the “line of contact” around Karabakh.
Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army said it continued to repel Azerbaijani attacks
on its frontline positions south of the disputed region. The Defense Army
released the names of 27 more Armenian soldier killed in action, raising to 924
the total number of combat deaths within its ranks.
The Azerbaijani army has still not disclosed its combat casualties.
Nagorno-Karabakh - Firefighters try to extinguish fire in Stepanakert caused by
shelling, .
There were also reports of continued shelling of civilian areas on either side
of the “line of contact.”
In particular, Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert came under Azerbaijani rocket fire
for the first time in four days. Local authorities said the rocket strike
destroyed several buildings and shops and damaged a gas pipeline.
“The Defense Army will strike back shortly,” a Karabakh official said following
the late-night shelling.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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