Month: December 2020

TURKISH press: Turkey, Iran calm down tension regarding poemTurkey, Iran calm down tension regarding poem

John Hovhannisian
  • 10:34:00

Turkish Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu held a phone call with his Iranian counterpart on late Dec. 12 over a recent dispute regarding the Turkish president’s recitation of a poem on a visit to Azerbaijan, which Tehran deemed as support for the secession of Azerbaijani ethnic parts of Iran, and the Iranian side said the parties “resolved a misunderstanding.”

An anonymous Turkish Foreign Ministry official said Çavuşoğlu told his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif, that public statements coming out of Tehran aimed at the Turkish leader were “baseless” and unacceptable when other channels of communication were available between the two governments.

Reminding of Turkey’s support for the country during the most difficult periods “when everyone turned their back on Iran,” he said that forgetting this increased the disappointment.

Çavuşoğlu also gave an assurance that Erdoğan fully respects Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, according to Iran’s state-run news agency. IRNA added that the Turkish diplomat explained his president had not been aware of the sensitivities surrounding the lines he recited in Baku.

The Iranian embassy in Ankara on Dec. 12 stated that the recent misunderstanding has been resolved during the phone call between Çavuşoğlu and Zarif. “The parties emphasized the importance of strengthening and expanding the relations between the two countries,” the embassy tweeted.

The diplomatic spat between the neighbors Iran and Turkey began earlier this week when President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who strongly backs Azerbaijan, read parts of a poem during a parade in the Caucasian country’s capital of Baku. The verses that Erdoğan read included lines about how a border tore apart ancient Azerbaijani, or Azerbaijani, lands “by force.”

Erdoğan was attending a victory parade ceremony in Baku on Dec. 10 to mark the country’s recent military success in liberating Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent regions from nearly 30 years of the Armenian occupation.

The next day, Zarif wrote on Twitter that “President Erdoğan was not informed that what he ill-recited in Baku refers to the forcible separation of areas north of Aras from Iranian motherland.”

According to IRNA, the poem is “one of the separatist symbols of pan-Turkism.”

Iran summoned Turkey’s envoy to the country on Dec.11. Ambassador Derya Ors was summoned by Iran’s deputy foreign minister to be conveyed Tehran’s “harsh condemnation,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a written statement.

In response, the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Dec. 11 summoned the Iranian ambassador to Ankara over Iran’s “aggressive” reaction to the Turkish president’s recitation of the poem.

In a statement on Dec.12, Turkey’s Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said Iran had distorted the meaning of the poem “to fuel senseless tensions.” The poem “passionately reflects the emotional experience of an aggrieved people due to Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani lands. It does not include any references to Iran,” Altun said.

Iran’s three northwestern provinces — West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan and Ardabil — have a predominantly ethnic Azerbaijani population that speaks a Turkic language.

TURKISH press: Russia reports first violation of Karabakh cease-fire deal

Elizabeth Jabejian
 ISTANBUL DIPLOMACY 
DEC 13, 2020 11:03 AM GMT+3
Azerbaijani soldiers patrol streets after sunset in Aghdam, Azerbaijan, Nov. 25, 2020. (AP Photo)

The Russian army on Saturday reported a violation of the cease-fire deal that ended the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in November over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, while both sides accused each other.

"One case of cease-fire violation was reported on Dec. 11 in the Hadrut district," said a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry, which has deployed peacekeepers to the region.

The Armenian army reported attacks from Azerbaijan on two villages that are under the control of Karabakh forces.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said "adequate countermeasures" had been taken against "provocations" from the other side but added that the truce was "currently being respected."

Four Azerbaijani servicemen were killed when their units were attacked in areas adjacent to the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said on Sunday in another statement.

A spokesperson for the Russian peacekeeping forces confirmed "exchanges of fire with automatic weapons," telling the Ria Novosti press agency that requests to respect the cease-fire had been sent to both parties.

The new clashes mark the first significant breach of the peace deal brokered by Russia on Nov. 10 that saw Azerbaijan reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding lands which were occupied by Armenian forces for more than a quarter-century.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reacted on Saturday by blaming Armenia for the new clashes and threatened to "break its head with an iron fist."

"Armenia shouldn't try to start it all over again," Aliyev said during a meeting with top diplomats from the U.S. and France who have tried to mediate the conflict that has spanned decades.

"It must be very cautious and not plan any military action. This time, we will fully destroy them. It mustn't be a secret to anyone."

Azerbaijan's president also said that the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group has yet to play a role in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which recently escalated after Armenian forces launched attacks on Azerbaijani civilians and security personnel.

Aliyev's remarks came amid an OSCE Minsk group meeting held in the capital Baku with the participation of the group's co-chairs France's Stephane Visconti and Andrew Schofer from the U.S., along with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Aliyev said the status-quo in the region has changed and the Azerbaijani leadership resolved the decades-long conflict through force and diplomatic means.

Although the OSCE Minsk Group proposed ideas to resolve the dispute, they did not bear fruit, according to the president.

Azerbaijan solved the problem on its own, Aliyev also said, adding that his country managed to beat Armenia on the battlefield.

The president further noted that Baku does not have an issue with the Armenian population living in the region, underlining that their standard of living will improve under Azerbaijani rule.

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but was under the occupation of Armenian forces since a separatist war there ended in 1994. That war left Nagorno-Karabakh itself and substantial surrounding territory in Armenian hands.

In 44 days of fighting that began in late September and left more than 5,600 people killed on both sides, the Azerbaijani army pushed deep into Nagorno-Karabakh, forcing Armenia to accept last month's peace deal that saw Azerbaijan reclaim much of the separatist region along with surrounding areas. Russia deployed nearly 2,000 peacekeepers for at least five years to monitor the peace deal and to facilitate the return of refugees.

Azerbaijan marked its victory with a military parade on Thursday that was attended by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and involved more than 3,000 troops, dozens of military vehicles, and a flyby of combat aircraft.

The peace deal was a major shock for Armenians, triggering protests calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikola Pashinian, who has refused to step down. He described the peace agreement as a bitter but necessary move that prevented Azerbaijan from taking over all of Nagorno-Karabakh.

On the visit to Azeri capital Baku, Erdoğan hailed what he dubbed his close ally's "glorious victory" in the conflict.

Erdoğan warned, however, that "Azerbaijan's saving its lands from occupation does not mean that the struggle is over."

Turkey’s Defense Ministry on Sunday also stated in a weekly briefing that the efforts for the establishment of a joint center between Ankara and Moscow to monitor the implementation of the Karabakh deal are still ongoing.

TURKISH press: Turkish presence in Caucasus ushers in new balance of power

Edgar Tavakalian
 COLUMNS 
DEC 14, 2020 12:05 AM GMT+3

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended last week a military parade in Baku, Azerbaijan, to celebrate that country's victory in Nagorno-Karabakh. His address, which reinforced the idea that Turkey and Azerbaijan are "two states and one nation," touched on three key points.

First, Turkey's military and air support played a crucial role in Azerbaijan's victory, which concluded 44 days of fighting. Ankara's contributions at Baku's time of need took bilateral relations to the next level. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who consolidated his domestic support with a victory after 28 long years, knows the benefits of allocating a special place to Turkey in his country's multidimensional balance-of-power policy. Aliyev, too, appreciated the "Erdoğan factor" behind the liberation of Karabakh better than anyone. There will be more areas of concrete cooperation between Ankara and Baku, as Armenia is held accountable for the mass destruction of Azerbaijan's once-occupied lands and the rebuilding of those areas.

At the same time, Azerbaijan's surprisingly fast victory in Nagorno-Karabakh marked the beginning of a new chapter in the Caucasus, as a new regional balance of power came into being. In light of these developments, Russia must stop treating the region like a backyard it inherited from the Soviet Union, and accept Turkey's military and political presence there. Moscow must now work with Ankara.

Another important point was Erdoğan's offer of peace to the people of Armenia: "You must notice that encouragement from Western imperialists will not get you anywhere. The relationship must be reevaluated. If the Armenian people learn from what happened in Karabakh, that could be the start of a new era in the region."

If Yerevan fails to accept the new status quo, under the influence of Paris or some other capital and pursues a policy of revenge, it will only serve to destabilize the region and undermine the safety and welfare of the Armenian people. Armenia will end up getting squeezed between the West, Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkey if it attempts to fight this new reality.

What is needed, instead, is for the winds of peace to blow and for Azerbaijan and Armenia (and, simultaneously, Turkey and Armenia) to normalize their relations. Make no mistake: Normalization would serve Armenia's interests more than others. In this sense, Erdoğan's pledge to open Turkey's borders with Armenia, along with his call for a multilateral platform in the Caucasus, are revolutionary developments.

Last but not the least, the Turkish presence in the Caucasus signals the beginning of a new period in Turkey's relations with Central Asia and Iran. There is an opportunity to boost cooperation among Turkic states. A new geopolitical balance of power is emerging and it features the West, Russia, China, Turkey and Iran, which extends far beyond the Caucasus.

That geopolitical space spans between energy lines and China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Again, the new balance of power in the Caucasus will strengthen bilateral relations between Ankara and Tehran in the medium term, as Iran takes into consideration Turkey's growing position in the region. That development will impact other aspects of the bilateral relationship as well.

Asbarez: Aliyev Says Visiting Minsk Group Co-Chairs Were Not Invited to Baku

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

December 12,  2020



OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said Saturday that no one had invited the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen to Baku, the Russian RIA Novosti agency reported.

The Minsk Group co-chairs Stephane Visconti of France, Andrew Schofer of the U.S., as well as the personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk are in Baku before heading to Yerevan on Sunday as part an announced visit to the region.

Conspicuously absent from the visit is the Russian co-chair Igor Popov. However, reports indicate that Russia’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mikhail Bocharnikov attended the meeting.

 

“Coming here [Baku] was your idea,” Aliyev told the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. “I can once again repeat this statement in front of the cameras. I have not invited the Minsk Group to visit, but when I was told that the Minsk Group would like to come, I wasn’t opposed to it. Maybe they have something to tell me. If you would like say it in front of the cameras, go ahead. If not, I will ask you to leave. I am listening to you.”

It was not clear why Popov did not attend the meeting.

President Sarkissian Says Government Has Not ‘Provided Satisfactory Explanation’ About Attacks on Hadrut

Garik Boshkezenian

December 13,  2020



President Armen Sarkissian

  • Calls on defense and foreign ministries to immediately present situation in Artsakh
  • Urges Parliament to convene emergency session to president solutions
  • Reaffirms Armenia’s 1992 Decision to Protect Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

On December 12, Azerbaijani armed forces, in violation of the November 9 ceasefire agreement, have seized the village of Hin Tagher in Artsakh’s Hadrut region and have advanced to the Khdzabert village in the same area.

The relevant bodies of the Armenian government, to this moment have not provided a satisfactory explanation about the situation and the measures taken by the Armenian side.

Given the circumstance, the President of Armenia is calling on Armenia’s Defense and Foreign ministries to immediately present to the public the situation in Artsakh, as well as efforts being undertaken by Armenia to defend the area and the successfully maintaining the ceasefire.

At the same time, the President of Armenia is calling on the National Assembly to immediately call an emergency session of parliament, which will assess the reasons for the situation created in Hadrut and efforts for its resolution.

While highly appreciating the November 9 ceasefire agreement mediated by the Russian President, the President of Armenia also would like to recall the by a decision adopted on July 8, 1992 by the Supreme Council of Armenia, the Republic of Armenia must continuously defend the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and its residents’ rights.

ANCA Issues Call to Action Following Latest Azerbaijani Ceasefire Violation

Emma Jilavian

ANCA Action Alert after Azeri forces attack Hadrut

Urges immediate block on U.S. security aid to Azerbaijan; $250 million in emergency aid to Artsakh

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America renewed calls for zeroing out military aid to Azerbaijan and sending $250 million in U.S. assistance to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s latest attack on Artsakh – it’s first major ceasefire violation following the disastrous Russia-brokered November 9th agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

On December 11, Azerbaijani forces attacked Artsakh’s southern Hadrut villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsabert, injuring three Armenian soldiers and raising questions about the future status and security of these Armenian villages and the nearby 4th-century Katarovank Monastery. An Armenian civilian was also reportedly captured by Azerbaijani forces.

The incident comes just a day after Azerbaijani President Aliyev claimed Armenia’s capital Yerevan and its Sevan and the Sunik regions as historic Azerbaijani territory. It was also timed to coincide with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ visit to Baku, held on Saturday, December 12th, during which President Aliyev issued a mocking rebuke of ongoing international efforts to secure a durable Artsakh peace.

The ANCA has issued a national call to action – anca.org/alert – urging U.S. leaders to condemn the most recent Azerbaijani attacks, stop U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, and help Armenia/Artsakh stand strong against future attacks through a $250 million emergency assistance program.

The grassroots letter to elected officials notes that “the intentions of Azerbaijan – and its enabler Turkey –are abundantly clear: To continue their aggression against Armenia and Artsakh with the ultimate goal of the destruction of the first Christian nation.”

ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian echoed the call to action in live Facebook and Instagram videos, sharing the broader list of immediate steps the organization is pursuing to stop Aliyev and Erdogan’s genocidal plans, including:

  • Delivering $250 million in humanitarian & development aid to Artsakh
  • Securing the release of all Armenian prisoners of war and captives
  • Recognizing Artsakh independence
  • Banning arms sales to Turkey and Azerbaijan
  • Stopping the military and security aid program to Baku
  • Enforcing Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act
  • Imposing Magnitsky sanctions on Erdogan and Aliyev
  • Investigating evidence of Azerbaijani war crimes
  • Punishing Turkish Arms Export Control law violations
  • Removing barriers to U.S.-Artsakh travel and contacts



Asbarez: Russian Peacekeepers Take Control of Captured Artsakh Village

Alex Nanijanian

December 13,  2020



Russian peacekeepers in Artsakh

  • 6 Artsakh Soldiers were Injured, According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry
  • Armenia’s Foreign Ministry Calls on OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to “Unequivocally” Call out Baku
  • An Emergency Session of Armenia’s National Security Council Was Held Sunday

Russian peacekeeping forces have taken over the control of Hin Tagher village in Artsakh’s Hadrut, after Azerbaijani forces captured and the area during an attack on Saturday that also saw their forces advancing toward other settlements under Armenian control.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry on Sunday confirmed that Azerbaijani forces had captured the village of Hin Tagher in Artsakh’s Hadrut region after Azerbaijan launched an attack on those positions beginning Saturday morning. The ministry also reported that six Artsakh soldiers had been injured.

Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh published a map on Sunday showing their positions in the Old Taghlar village

The Azerbaijan advance was a clear violation of the November 9 agreement signed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan. The agreement ended the military hostilities in Karabakh, but stipulated the surrender of Armenian territories to Azerbaijan. Per the agreement, the two villages that were attacked on Saturday were under the control of Armenians.

It took the ministry more than 24 hours to make an announcement, while reports of Azerbaijani capturing Hin Tagher was confirmed by local residents, as well as Artsakh Armed Forces on the ground.

The lack of official information by Yerevan compounded the complexities of the issues, said Edmon Marukyan, the leader of the parliamentary opposition Bright Armenia Party while speaking to reporters on Sunday after an emergency session of Armenia’s National Security Council.

Marukyan told reporters that Azerbaijan’s attack was a clear violation of the first point of the November 9 agreement, which stipulates that the new line of contact between Artsakh and Azerbaijan will be the positions each side occupied at the end of the war. The two villages that were attacked were under Armenian control, although Azerbaijan seems to have other plans in the region.

According to Armenia’s defense ministry, Azerbaijani forces were also advancing toward the nearby Khtsaberd village, will military operations continuing well into Saturday.

Russia’s defense ministry acknowledged the ceasefire violations and official Baku announced that four of its soldiers were killed during the operation.

Russian peacekeepers deployed to Artsakh to monitor the ceasefire were not stationed at the line of contact between Artsakh and Azerbaijan in Hadrut. Hours after the attack, Russian peacekeepers arrived in the region.

According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian military are currently negotiating the return to the former positions in Hadrut region

“The Ministry of Defense of Armenia strongly condemns the provocation carried out by the Azerbaijani armed forces. The current situation, which has nothing to do with the key demand of the statement signed by Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan – the cessation of hostilities – endangers the fragile peace achieved through the direct efforts of the Russian President,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

It added that “the actions of the Azerbaijani side immediately became a subject of discussion with the leadership of the Russian peacekeeping contingent stationed in Artsakh.”

Minister of Defense Vagharshak Harutyunyan, who is in Moscow on a working visit, discussed the issue during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu.

Statement by the Foreign Ministry of Armenia on the violation of the ceasefire regime by Azerbaijan

“While strongly condemning this gross violation of the commitments by the top military-political leadership of Azerbaijan under the trilateral statement on the cessation of hostilities and the deployment of Russian peacekeepers,” said Armenia’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday, adding that Azerbaijan’s attacks were “aimed at undermining the presence of the peacekeepers of the Russian Federation in the conflict zone.”

The foreign ministry pointed out that the attacks took place while the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs were in Baku meeting with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who said that the international mediators were not invited to Baku and told the co-chairs that, “If Armenian fascism raises its head once again, we will smash it with an iron fist …. we will destroy them completely this time.”

“This challenge to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries is a continuation of the warmongering and unacceptable statements of the leaders of Turkey and Azerbaijan addressed to the Armenian people during the recent parade in Baku. Such behavior once again demonstrates the Turkish-Azerbaijani expansionist policy, which continues to undermine regional security and stability and threatens to expand into neighboring regions,” said the foreign ministry.

“The actions of official Baku further underline the imperative to eliminate the consequences of the recent Azerbaijani aggression, including the de-occupation of the territories of Artsakh and the return of the Armenians of Artsakh to their places of residences,” added the foreign ministry in its Sunday statement.

Taking into consideration the impunity with which Azerbaijan violates its international obligations through the use of force and consequences of such actions, we call on the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries to unequivocally and clearly address Azerbaijan’s actions aimed at violating the ceasefire regime, pursuing its policy of ethnic cleansing and occupying the Armenian settlements,” said the foreign ministry.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 12/12/2020

Sonya Jalatian 
                                        Saturday, 

Armenia Reports Renewed Fighting In Karabakh


NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- A general view shows Hadrut town, which recently came under 
the control of Azerbaijani troops, November 25, 2020

Armenia accused Azerbaijan on Saturday of resuming “offensive operations” in 
Nagorno-Karabakh’s southwest one month after a Russian-brokered ceasefire that 
stopped the Armenian-Azerbaijani war.

The Armenian Defense Ministry said the Azerbaijani army is attacking Karabakh 
Armenian positions near two remote villages in Karabakh’s southern Hadrut 
district that was mostly occupied by it during the six-week war.

In a short statement, the ministry said Karabakh’s Armenia-backed army is 
“taking adequate measures” in response. It gave no further details.

A spokeswoman for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said Russian 
peacekeeping forces deployed in Karabakh must react to the “Azerbaijani attack.”

“The leadership of the peacekeepers has been fully informed about the events 
unfolding there since the early morning,” Mane Gevorgian wrote on Facebook.

The Karabakh Defense Army said earlier in the day that three of its soldiers 
were wounded while thwarting an Azerbaijani attempt to attack one of its 
frontline positions late on Friday. It denied Azerbaijani media reports saying 
that Armenian forces resorted to an “armed provocation” in Hadrut that left one 
Azerbaijani soldier wounded.

A senior Karabakh official, Davit Babayan, likewise claimed that Azerbaijani 
forces tried to advance at a southern section of the Karabakh “line of contact” 
but were repelled.

According to the Sputnik news agency, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed 
that there was “one instance of violation of the ceasefire regime in the Hadrut 
district” on Friday. But it did not comment on fresh hostilities reported in the 
mountainous area on Saturday.

Azerbaijan did not immediately react to what were the most serious truce 
violations reported in the Karabakh conflict zone since the November 9 ceasefire 
agreement.

In what may have been a related development, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei 
Lavrov again spoke with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov by phone on 
Saturday. The Russian Foreign Ministry said they discussed the implementation of 
the ceasefire agreement but did not elaborate.

The nearly 2,000 Russian troops were deployed in and around Karabakh under the 
terms of that accord. The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Saturday morning 
that the peacekeeping forces have fortified their observation posts with 
protective and surveillance equipment.



Skirmish Reported In Karabakh


NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- An ethnic Armenian soldier walks with Nagorno-Karabakh's 
flag towards a checkpoint near village of Charektar at a new border with 
Kalbacar district turned over to Azerbaijan, November 25, 2020.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenia-backed army said on Saturday that three of its 
soldiers were wounded while thwarting an Azerbaijani attempt to attack one of 
its frontline positions late on Friday.

“Their life is not at risk. An investigation is underway to clarify details of 
the incident,” the Defense Army said in a statement.

The statement denied Azerbaijani media reports saying that Armenian forces 
resorted to an “armed provocation” in Karabakh’s southern Hadrut district that 
left one Azerbaijani soldier wounded.

A senior Karabakh official, Davit Babayan, likewise claimed that Azerbaijani 
forces tried to advance at a southern section of the Karabakh “line of contact” 
but were repelled.

“These actions are directed at both Karabakh and Russia,” Babayan told the 
Armenpress news agency. “It is possible that there will be more such provocative 
actions in the future. But I think the response will be tough, including from 
[Russian] peacekeepers.”

The peacekeepers did not immediately comment on what was the most serious 
ceasefire violation reported in the Karabakh conflict zone since a 
Russian-brokered agreement that stopped the six-week Armenian-Azerbaijani war on 
November 10.

The nearly 2,000 Russian troops were deployed in and around Karabakh under the 
terms of that agreement. The Russian Defense Ministry reported earlier on 
Saturday that the peacekeeping forces have fortified their observation posts 
with protective and surveillance equipment.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 12/13/2020

Karlen Baghdasarian 
                                        Sunday, 

Armenia, Azerbaijan Trade Accusations Over Fresh Karabakh Fighting


NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- Ethnic Armenian militants stand at a checkpoint near village 
of Charektar at a new border with Kalbacar district turned over to Azerbaijan, 
November 25, 2020

Armenia accused Azerbaijan on Sunday of violating a Russian-brokered ceasefire 
agreement following fighting reported in Nagorno-Karabakh’s southwest.

It insisted that Azerbaijani forces launched an assault on Karabakh Armenian 
positions in and around around two remote villages in Karabakh’s southern Hadrut 
district that was mostly occupied by them during the recent war.

According to Armenia’s Defense Ministry, the Azerbaijani army used heavy 
artillery to capture one of those villages and approach the other on Saturday. A 
ministry statement said six Karabakh Armenian soldiers were wounded as a result.

It said that Russian peacekeepers rushed to the area late on Saturday to try to 
stop the hostilities. Their negotiations with local Armenian and Azerbaijani 
commanders are still going on, added the statement issued at around noon.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said early in the afternoon that Azerbaijani 
troops also took “provocative actions” around two other Hadrut villages 
remaining under Karabakh Armenian control. It alleged a “blatant violation” of 
the ceasefire agreement that stopped the six-week war on November 10.

Azerbaijani denied violating the ceasefire, in a joint statement issued by its 
Defense Ministry and State Security Service. It said that the Azerbaijani army 
stationed in the Hadrut district launched a “counterterrorist operation” after 
one of their soldiers was killed on Tuesday.

The statement claimed that the Russian peacekeepers arrived in the area to try 
to “evacuate” Armenian troops remaining there. It said that the latter refused 
to pull out and attacked Azerbaijani forces.

The Armenian Defense Ministry asserted, however, the peacekeepers’ talks with 
the warring sides are aimed at getting them to “return to their previous 
positions.” It also said Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian discussed the 
situation on the ground with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu during a 
visit to Moscow that began on Saturday.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed truce violations in the Hadrut area but 
did not blame either side for the escalation or say what the Russian 
peacekeepers are trying to do there. The peacekeepers have had no observation 
posts in that area until now.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

CivilNet: Why was the war lost in Karabakh? Samvel Babayan’s Revelations from the 44-day war

Arbi Tashjian
CIVILNET.AM

12:50

“The [Artsakh] Security Council attempted to understand the opponent’s resources. We sent a letter regarding this to the [Artsakh] Defense Army, to which the response was that we must ask Armenia’s Ministry of Defense. 

I called [Armenia’s] Minister of Defense [David Tonoyan], who gave an evasive answer, something to the effect that the information is secretive. 

We wanted to get details about weapons, military units but they made it clear that they could not provide that information to us. Secondly, we could not go to the [military] positions ourselves. The Security Council is an advisory body, yet without having information about the opponent, we had to develop a plan.”

“Karabakh was to gather 17,500 reservists. The first stage [of the war], which required 7,500-8,000 reservists, was roughly 90% complete. 

Nothing happened after that. There was freedom of movement for reservists, they could come and leave when they pleased. I notified both Armenia’s prime minister and Karabakh’s president regarding this issue. 

When the army sees that we can not suppress the enemy's drones and artillery, they become afraid.

The commanders of the military unit are not able to perform a task either, because they are trained to lead 2,000 people and not 4,000. 

[Artsakh Defense Army Commander] Jalal Harutyunyan was obliged to promote a 19-year-old to a lieutenant or a commander of a platoon. This is the result of ten years of bad personnel policy. 

When the military commissariats were sending reservists to Jabrayil, did they not understand that it should be those who previously served in Jabrayil? They should have been properly organized. Let them conduct an honest investigation so that our society will clearly understand what happened.”

“On the morning of September 27, the Armenian side lost 50 percent of its anti-aircraft resources and 40 percent of its artillery.

Within a few days of advancement into the south, the enemy changed the length of the front, the line of contact from 270 kilometers to 470 kilometers. We didn’t possess the resources to cover that front. 

I suggested setting up a command post in the south and sending Movses Hakobyan [the then head of the military control service and former Chief of the General staff of the Armenian Armed forces, and former commander of the Artsakh defense Army] in that direction. He later said that he did not go due to personal problems. If this commander refuses to do his job, what could we demand from a junior officer, a regiment commander?

When the enemy broke through and reached Jabrayil, it expanded towards Khudaferin. At this point, I suggested closing the road near Kiant-Horadiz and cutting the enemy off. I personally suggested it to Jalal Harutyunyan, and he personally participated in the plan. Two brigades were formed. By closing that road and closing their supply line, we would not arrive at the current situation. 

When our brigades arrived, the Azerbaijanis greeted our tanks with flags, not realizing that they are Armenian. Azerbaijan suffered the loss of 150 personnel. But the second Armenian brigade does not even try to move forward, to strengthen the position․ The commander is wounded in the leg, the deputy does not carry out orders, etc.

An investigation should find out why the two brigades could not fulfill their task and who is  to blame.”

In the village of Sghnakh [the Azerbaijanis] had set up a base and were stretching towards Shushi. There were three Armenian battalions. The Arajadzor battalion had to enter Avetaranots and take the hill, cut off the enemy from the road and surround Sghnakh on both sides, forcing the enemy to retreat from Shushi.

In the village of Shosh, the commanders are told about the operation. On the night of November 5, I was told that the Arajadzor battalion refused, then the two Armenian battalions refused as well.

Let the investigation find out what they said, why such a situation was created.”

“We did not have an anti-aircraft force, we had six Tor missile systems, four of which were destroyed.

Now people say there were weapons that Armenia did not give.

I say, Armenia gave what it had.

All the tales about our having  had weapons are not true. We did not have them. For obvious reasons, Russia was not obliged to give us weapons, we had to buy them at the time. Nobody owed it, we had to have it.”