Month: December 2020

Azerbaijan Says 4 Soldiers Killed Amid Cease-Fire Violations in Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Karabekian
Voice of America
Dec 13 2020

Azerbaijani defense officials say four soldiers have been killed since a cease-fire last month ended large-scale clashes with ethnic Armenian forces over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. 

The Defense Ministry statement on December 13 gave few details as to when or where the deaths took place, saying only they occurred in an area that Azerbaijani forces took control of in the fighting that formally ended on November 10. 

A day earlier, both Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations over heavy new fighting and new violations of the Russian-brokered cease-fire, which occurred in the southern Hadrut district. 

It was unclear if the deaths announced on December 13 by Azerbaijan occurred in the Hadrut region. 

FILE – A view shows a burnt tank near Hadrut town, which recently came under the control of Azerbaijan's troops following a military conflict against ethnic Armenian forces, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Nov. 25, 2020.

Armenia's Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, accused Azerbaijan of "gross violations" of the cease-fire but gave no further details. And a day earlier, Armenia’s Defense Ministry accused Azerbaijani forces of attacking positions held by ethnic Armenian forces near Hadrut. 

The Karabakh Defense Army, the fighting force of the ethnic Armenian administration that controlled Nagorno-Karabakh until last month's cease-fire, said earlier that three of its fighters were wounded in clashes on December 11. 

Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan, but the territory and some surrounding areas have been controlled by ethnic Armenian forces since the early 1990s. 

The two sides have skirmished regularly over the years, but in September, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive that resulted in Baku regaining control of the surrounding districts, and much of Nagorno-Karabakh itself. 

The sides agreed to a Russian-brokered cease-fire in early November, resulting in in the deployment of 2,000 Russian peacekeeping forces to the conflict zone. 

Russian peacekeepers acknowledged violations in Hadrut on both December 11 and 12, but did not assign blame. 

Overall, Azerbaijan has reported 2,783 of its soldiers killed in the latest bout of fighting. 

Armenia has not released a final death toll for its military, but Nagorno-Karabakh military officials have said at least 2,317 soldiers had been killed. 

Azerbaijan’s defence ministry reports death of four troops since peace deal

Arsine Chaltikian
WION News
Dec 13 2020
WION Web Team

Continuing the tensions in the area, Azerbaijan has reported the death of four troops in the Nagorno-Karabakh region despite an ongoing peace deal, which was set up with the Armenian separatists in November.

The defence ministry has alleged that a group of Armenian fighters are still present in the region and had attacked Azerbaijan's troops, breaking the terms of the peace accord.

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This claim has come as a serious allegation against Armenia which is being accused of violating a  Russian-brokered truce between the two regions which was initiated after a violent fight that went on for nearly six weeks between the two regions.

The defence ministry has said that an exchange of fire took place on November 26 which took lives of three servicemen and injured the fourth man, leading to his death. The incident happened near the village of Hadrut.

It also claimed that "the Armenian side has six wounded" separatists from the violent encounter, which the ministry claimed was initiated from the opposite side which was seen armed with heavy artillery.

The six-week conflict that erupted in September between the separatists backed by Armenia and Azerbaijan over the mountainous region ended November 10 with a Moscow-brokered peace deal that saw the Armenians cede swathes of territory. This tensed situation has led to the displacement of several thousand and had also claimed the lives of more than 5,000 people. 

After the six-weeks long fight, Russia had brokered a peace deal between the two and had also deployed nearly 2,000 troops in the Nagorno-Karabakh for peacekeeping.

The Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has vowed to use an "iron fist" to "crush" and tackle the "troubling" situation between the two foes.

Flare up in Karabakh – what Baku and Yerevan are saying

Sonya Jalatian
JAM News
Dec 13 2020

    JAMnews

Combat has resumed in Karabakh around two villages. There are dead and wounded, and both sides point the figure at the other for the first flare up of violence since the November 10 truce.

Azerbaijan announced an ‘anti-terrorist operation’ against Armenian militants, while Armenia said an attack had been launched by the Azerbaijani military on civilians.

The State Security Service and the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan made a joint statement on December 13, which refers to a ‘counter-terrorist operation’ of the Azerbaijani special services on the territory of the Khojavend region in Karabakh.

“After the declaration of the armistice in the north-western part of the Gadrut settlement of the Khojavend region of Azerbaijan, some Armenian armed formations remained in the forest area.

Armenian media said they got lost in the forest. The Armenian side appealed to the command of the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation for their withdrawal from the territory, and the Azerbaijani side provided all the conditions for this.

In difficult weather conditions, the servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping contingent arrived at the scene and, using loudspeakers, addressed the Armenian armed formations in the forest. […]

But [the militants] did not leave the territory and instead created combat positions there […] and for several days carried out sabotage against civilians and military personnel.

Thus, as a result of a surprise attack on November 26 on servicemen of the Ministry of Defense in the liberated from occupation village of Sur, Khojavend region, three Azerbaijani servicemen were killed and two wounded.

On December 8, during the installation of communication equipment near the village of Hadrut, another serviceman was killed and an employee of Azercell was seriously injured.

Taking this into account, Azerbaijan was forced to conduct an anti-terrorist operation in this territory.”

  • Op-ed: What’s next in Armenia – loss of sovereignty or global integration?

The Armenian Foreign Ministry stated on December 13 that “Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire in the area of the Khin Taglar and Khtsaberd settlements of the Hadrut region, taking advantage of the fact that peacekeeping forces were not deployed in this part of the Artsakh Republic”.

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, this incident took place on December 11, six servicemen of the Karabakh Defense Army were wounded.

“Azerbaijani forces continued their provocative actions on December 13 in the direction of the settlements of Mets Shen and Khin Shen [Azerbaijani names Boyuk Galadyaryasi and Kehnia Galadyaryasi – JAMnews] […] These actions aim to devalue the presence of the peacekeeping forces of the Russian Federation in the conflict zone.

The Azerbaijani side carried out this provocation during the visit of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to the region. It is a challenge against [their] efforts. […]

This style of action once again demonstrates the Turkish-Azerbaijani expansionist policy, which continues to undermine regional security and stability and is fraught with spread to neighboring regions.

In the light of such actions of official Baku […], the de-occupation of the territories of Artsakh and the return of the Armenians of Artsakh to their places of residence become even more obligatory.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry called on the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries to react to the actions of the Azerbaijani side.

Armenia claims Azerbaijan continues provocations in Nagorno-Karabakh

Kevo Kalantarian
TASS, Russia
Dec 13 2020
According to the statement, Azerbaijan staged provocation during the visit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to the region and this posed a challenge to its efforts on peaceful settlement

YEREVAN, December 13. /TASS/. Azerbaijan’s forces continued their provocation in the settlements of Metz-Shen and Hin-Shen in Nagorno-Karabakh’s Hadrut Province, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

"We strongly condemn this gross violation of commitments undertaken by Azerbaijan’s supreme military and political leadership in a trilateral statement on ending combat actions and deploying Russian peacekeepers. We stress that these steps are directed at playing down Russian peacekeepers’ presence in the conflict zone," the document said.

According to the statement, Azerbaijan staged provocation during the visit of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to the region and this posed a challenge to its efforts on peaceful settlement. This is also part and parcel of unacceptable statements made by the Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders. Yerevan notes that this once again points to the Turkish-Azerbaijani expansionism policy.

"The official Baku’s steps highlight the need for deoccupying the territory of Artsakh (the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh republic) and returning Armenians of Artsakh to their places of residence. Given the impunity of Azerbaijan, which violates its international commitments, we are calling on co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to unambiguously and clearly respond to the Azerbaijani side’s steps, which are aimed at violating the ceasefire, ethnic cleansing and occupying Armenian settlements," the statement said.

On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. Under the agreement, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides maintained the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region. In addition, Azerbaijan regained control over the Agdamsky, Kelbadzharsky and Lachinsky districts.

Nagorno-Karabakh Becomes The Scene Of A Clash Between Turkey And The West

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
Greek City Times
Dec 13 2020
by Guest Blogger

The OSCE Mink Group Co-Chairs are visiting Yerevan and Baku this weekend to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement with the political leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

It was announced by Assistant Secretary of State Philip Riker pointing out the lack of alternative to the existing diplomatic format to resolve disputes around Nagorno-Karabakh.

The speech by the American diplomat clearly shows notes of dissatisfaction with Turkey’s extreme activity towards Nagorno-Karabakh.

After the tripartite agreement was accepted, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev have been working towards the legalization of Ankara’s status as a full participant in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Baku for last Friday’s victory parade.

As soon as Turkey gets this status, Ankara will probably send a peacekeeping contingent to Nagorno-Karabakh along with the Russian troops already transferred to the conflict zone.

At first Erdoğan had unsuccessfully tried to negotiate with Vladimir Putin to create an independent Turkish center to monitor the ceasefire with the aim of strengthening Ankara’s role in the South Caucasus.

Then Turkish officials announced a rapid transfer of engineering units to Nagorno-Karabakh to clear the area.

Meanwhile, among Russian and Armenian military experts, arose reasonable fears that Ankara would send Special Forces under the guise of sappers for diversionary operations.

Erdoğan turned to the “creeping denunciation” of a tripartite agreement adopted with the decisive role of Russian diplomacy and was furious at the Kremlin’s inconsistency.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) in Sochi, Russia on 22 October 2019. EPA-EFE/ALEXEI DRUZHININ / SPUTNIK / KREMLIN POOL MANDATORY CREDIT

In particular, Aliyev began to stubbornly insist on the adoption of a new document fixing the status of Nagorno-Karabakh as a territory of Azerbaijan that is absolutely contrary to the previously accepted formula.

Now Baku demands the agreement to include Russian peacekeepers in “Azerbaijani soil.”

The Azerbaijani leader unlikely dared to do it without considering Erdoğan’s position, who had been the political overlord of Baku for a long time.

Meanwhile, Moscow and Ankara stopped trying to hide their diplomatic conflicts. This fact gives an opportunity for the West to seize the initiative in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Certainly the West is unlikely to be able to be the only regulative factor in Nagorno-Karabakh amid the enormous economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it can moderate Erdogan’s appetites if unites with Moscow.

The Kremlin, paradoxically, can make a deal with its partners in the OSCE Minsk Group in order to hold back an overenthusiastic Turkish president.

The first joint step of the anti-Turkish tandem of Moscow and the West is likely to be the granting of Russian peacekeepers stationed in Nagorno-Karabakh with the OSCE mandate.

This will instantly destroy Erdoğan’s hopes of sending his “blue helmets” to the region, bypassing international institutions.

Against this backdrop, Vladimir Putin’s _expression_ of respect for the efforts of France and the United States to promote mediation in Nagorno-Karabakh looks like a prologue of the future alliance during an interview with Kremlin journalists.

American expert Bradley Reynolds points to Moscow’s interest in forming an “ad hoc” coalition with Paris and Washington.

“Russia has been investing in the geopolitical game in Transcaucasia, in which the stakes are rising, therefore Moscow may have a need to contribute to its efforts for a long-term political settlement of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the political scientist stated.

The White House also does not deny its readiness for “building bridges” with the Kremlin to keep the Turkish president out of the game.

“We are concerned about the role of Turkey, the participation of foreign militants, the supply of weapons to Azerbaijan by Ankara. These issues are on the agenda of our dialogue with Russia,” acting assistant of US Secretary of State for Eurasia Philip Ricker emphasized.

Under these circumstances, Nagorno-Karabakh, which recently was the battleground between Armenia and Azerbaijan, has been rapidly becoming an arena, where Turkey and the West clash each other.

At the same time, Erdoğan, in pursuit of growing geopolitical ambitions, could be alone in face of a Western-Russian coalition, which may temporarily forget about previous disagreements in order to squeeze the Turkish leader from his advance in world politics.

The views of the author does not necessarily reflect those of Greek City Times.

Kemran Mamedov is a Moscow-based Azerbaijiani journalist born in Georgia with a focus on South Caucasus issues.

Russian peacekeepers suppressed ceasefire violation in Karabakh, commander says

Janet Ekmekjian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 13 2020

Russian peacekeepers on Friday suppressed a ceasefire violation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the situation in the region returned to normal, commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, Lieutenant General Rustam Muradov told reporters today, TASS reports.

“A ceasefire violation was registered on December 11, in the vicinity of the settlements of Khtsaberd and Hin Tagher of the Hadrut region, which was suppressed by the actions of the Russian peacekeeping contingent,” Muradov said.

The Lieutenant General stressed that at present “the situation in this area has returned to normal.” Russian peacekeepers are constantly monitoring the situation and keep in contact with representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides, Muradov added.

On the eve of the Russian Defense Ministry reported the first case of violation of the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Earlier on Saturday, the Armenian Defense Ministry had announced the start of offensive actions of the Azerbaijani army in the direction of the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the south of Karabakh.

As of Sunday the ceasefire is again observed in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Russian Defense Ministry says.

Fighting returns to Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan claims some Armenian troops broke terms of armistice by remaining in region

Emil Lazarian
RT – Russia Today
Dec 13 2020

13 Dec, 2020 17:19 

Nagorno-Karabakh is in danger of flaring up again after Azerbaijan claimed it had carried out an operation in the disputed region on Saturday. Baku claims Armenian soldiers remained in the area in violation of last month’s truce.

According to the Azerbaijani side, some Armenian troops refused to cooperate with the terms of the armistice, and had stayed put in forests near the village of Hadrut. In response, Baku says that they were forced to take retaliatory measures.

“After the signing of the November 10 joint statement on a ceasefire, Armenian armed units remained in the forests to the northwest of the Hadrut village,” a statement from the Defense Ministry said. “The Armenian side requested the assistance of the command of Russia’s peacekeeping contingent in order to withdraw these units.”

Baku claims it “created all conditions for withdrawing Armenian units,” allowing the Russians to escort the remaining Armenian troops out of the region. However, they refused to leave, and a small shootout started between the two armies. A firefight began, leaving four Azeri soldiers dead.

Also on rt.com After reports of fresh fighting, Russian peacekeepers tell Armenia & Azerbaijan to observe agreed truce in Nagorno-Karabakh

In response, the Armenian Defense Ministry accused Azerbaijan of violating the ceasefire. Yerevan reported that six of its servicemen were wounded in the firefight. The Defense Ministry of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic also blamed the Azeris, announcing that “the enemy attempted to attack the combat positions.” 

Since the armistice that was agreed on in November, Russian peacekeepers have been deployed to the area to stop any further escalation between the two parties. On Saturday, Moscow confirmed the ceasefire had been violated. 

On November 9, the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan adopted a trilateral agreement on the cessation of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh. At the time the truce was signed, Azerbaijan was at a clear advantage. In Russian President Vladimir Putin’s opinion, Yerevan’s refusal to agree to stop the hostilities would have been “suicide.” According to Nikol Pashinyan, Armenia’s prime minister, Yerevan had no choice but to sign the document, as the country’s resources were quickly becoming depleted.

WW3 fears surge as Azerbaijan ramps up its military drones to DESTROY Armenian troops

Greg Madatian
Express, UK
Dec 13 2020
By Manon Dark
Nagorno-Karabakh is a disputed territory in the South Caucasus and is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. In September, conflict in the area resumed along the Line of Actual Control between Azerbaijan and Armenian forces.

On Saturday, Armenian officials and Azerbaijan accused each other of breaching a peace deal that ended six weeks of fierce clashes over the disputed area.

Azerbaijan’s leader issued a deadly threat to crush Armenian forces with an “iron fist”.

According to Asia Times, Azerbaijani forces took out 241 Armenian main battle tanks, 50 BMD infantry fighting vehicles along with several other military weapons and vehicles during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

The media platform said the most surprising result of the conflict was the destruction of Armenian air defences.

More than four air defence systems were destroyed along with three tracked air defence missile systems.

This resulted in nearly all of Armenia’s air defence systems being obliterated leaving them with only hand-held air defences.

Separatist officials in the disputed area said the Azerbaijani forces began another attack late on Friday leaving three local ethnic Armenian servicemen wounded.

Russian peacekeepers deployed to the area said a violation of the ceasefire in the Gadrut region took place on Friday.

The Russian defence ministry’s report on the incident was released on Saturday but did not lay blame on a particular side.

The Armenian defence ministry also said the Azerbaijani army had launched an attack on Saturday.

Ilham Aliyev, Azerbaijan’s president, blamed Armenia for the new clashes and reacted by threatening to “break its head with an iron first”.

During a meeting with diplomats from the US and France, Mr Aliyev added: “Armenia shouldn’t try to start it all over again.

“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.”

In a statement, Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said that its forces foiled Armenia’s “provocations” and restored the ceasefire.

Nagorno-Karabakh had been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the war ended in 1994.

During the conflict in September which left more than 5,600 people dead from both sides, Azerbaijani forces pushed into Nagorno-Karabakh which forced Armenia to accept a peace deal.

The deal saw Azerbaijan reclaim large parts of the separatist region.

On Thursday, Azerbaijan marked its victory with a military parade attended by the Turkish president.

The event involved more than 3,000 troops, dozens of military vehicles and combat aircrafts.

The peace deal triggered protests in Armenia calling for the resignation of the country’s prime minister Nikol Pashinyan.



Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian military negotiating the return to the former positions in Hadrut region

Emma Nadirian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 13 2020

The Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian military are negotiating the return to the former positions in Hadrut region, after the Azerbaijani forces attacked to villages on December 12, the Armenian Ministry of Defense reports.

On December 12, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, mobilizing additional personnel, military equipment, including heavy artillery, launched an attack on the villages of Hin Tagher and Khtsaberd in the Hadrut region of the Artsakh Republic, in violation of the requirements of the trilateral declaration signed on November 9, the Ministry said.

As a result of several hours of fighting, the enemy managed to enter the village of Hin Tagher, and approach the village of Khtsaberd.

Six Armenians were wounded as a result of the provocation, casualties on the Azerbaijani side are reported.

“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 the Presidents of 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 the Russian Federation on a working visit, discussed the issue during a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu.

The Ministry added that negotiations between Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani servicemen are under way to resolve the situation in Hadrut and ensure the return of the parties to their former positions. Additional information will be provided on further developments in the situation.



Armenian, Russian defense chiefs discuss Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire violation

Ani Basmajian
TASS, Russia
Dec 13 2020
On December 12, Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces delivered a strike on the villages of Hin Tager and Htsaberd, the Armenian Defense Ministry’s press service said

YEREVAN, December 13. /TASS/. Armenian Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunyan, who is paying a working visit to Russia, met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu to discuss ceasefire violations in Nagorno-Karabakh’s Hadrut Province, the Armenian Defense Ministry’s press service said on Sunday.

"On December 12, Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces violated commitments under the November 9 trilateral statement by concentrating additional personnel, military hardware and heavy artillery, and delivered a strike on the villages of Hin Tager and Htsaberd of the Hadrut Province in Artsakh (in the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh republic)," the press service said.

"Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunyan, who is currently on a working visit to Russia, discussed this issue during his meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu," the statement said.