Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

Turkish press: Crisis within the Western security structure

Emil Lazarian
 AUG 03, 2022 – 12:05 AM GMT+3

Flag of NATO (Shutterstock Photo)

The West has been embroiled in a deep political and social crisis since the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Western crisis began immediately after it declared its ultimate victory and global hegemony. The biggest challenge for the West does not come from Russia or China but from within. There are several structural and political reasons for this crisis.

First, the Western people and governments have lost faith in liberal institutions and liberal values, including multiculturalism and peaceful co-existence. They think liberal values and institutions do not serve their national interests anymore. The rise of xenophobia, ultra-nationalism, far-rightism, fascism, racism and Islamophobia have begun to shape the Western political discourse. Mainstream center-left (social democrats) and center-right (liberals) have lost power in favor of populist far-right and far-left political parties in most Western countries. The new normal in the West is shallow political leaders and partisan politics.

After the first generation of populist politicians, such as Silvio Berlusconi, former prime minister of Italy, and Nicolas Sarkozy, former French president, dominated the first decade of the 21st century, the second group of populist politicians, such as Donald Trump, former U.S. president, and Boris Johnson, former U.K. prime minister, rose during the second half of the second decade of the 21st century. Nowadays, the Western world is waiting for the third generation of populist and radical politicians who view world politics from a conflictual perspective. The momentum in the West is still negative and illiberal direction; the Western common denominators continue to weaken and disappear.

Second, the evolution and the future of NATO have been widely discussed at the heart of international politics. Several disputes between the United States and other NATO allies, namely continental European countries and Turkey, have been rising for the last two decades. When the U.S. embarked on a controversial war in Iraq and illegally occupied the country, the majority of the Europeans and many European governments opposed the U.S. Even Germany, who in principle never questioned any American initiative abroad, openly criticized the U.S.’ invasion.

Furthermore, Greece, which illegally militarizes the Aegean islands close to Turkey, has been trying to do anything in its capacity to provoke Ankara to increase the tension in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Greece has been insistently asking the Western countries to impose sanctions on Turkey. Recently, the two countries came close to a naval confrontation in the region and the NATO members such as the U.S. and France have been sending military troops and warships to the region to support Greece. Since the U.S. does not act as a broker between the two allies, it has lost its neutral and effective position.

The more NATO expands, it will lose its common denominators. In other words, with the inclusion of new states with different priorities and agendas into the NATO alliance, the alliance’s cohesion will weaken. According to the NATO agreement, every ally possesses the right to veto any NATO decision if its demands are not met or if its national interests require otherwise. The most recent discussion about the possible membership of Sweden and Finland, which Turkey questions, indicates the questionable future of NATO.

Souring relations among the NATO allies have been undermining the organization and its ability to make effective decisions and intervene into regional crises. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has relatively reconsolidated the alliance, at least for the short term. However, after the prolonged war in Ukraine, the members of the alliance have begun to return to their previous positions and do not stand united against the crisis. Different members of the alliance have not only different priorities but also conflictual policies. For instance, many NATO members have been supporting and sponsoring anti-Turkish non-state actors and terrorist organizations, which undermine Turkey’s national security. On the other hand, while many NATO members have supported Khalifa Haftar, the illegal military actor in the Libyan crisis, Turkey has supported the U.N.-recognized government.

Third, NATO’s credibility eroded in the last two decades. The allies of the Western world, both Western and non-Western states, no longer trust the NATO alliance and the leading Western countries. For instance, neither NATO nor the Western states could save the Arab regimes during the Arab uprisings and revolutions or Georgia and Ukraine from the Russian intervention and disintegration. Even the Armenian government has criticized NATO for its inability to intervene in the crisis in the South Caucasus.

The Western NATO allies have different priorities; naturally, they do not consider the national security concerns of other states, including Turkey, a NATO ally. Turkey has been reminding the other NATO allies of the principle of reciprocity, which calls all members to respect the national security of the others. Unfortunately, this principle does not apply to the recent relations between Turkey and some of the other NATO members since many NATO members remain indifferent to the threats directed against it. Despite all constructive steps on the side of Turkey, some NATO members are determined to take a tougher stance against Turkey.

Many direct or indirect developments related to European and Trans-Atlantic security require rethinking the future of NATO. All members have to think about the security concerns of other member states. Otherwise, these developments will lead to counterproductive relations between the member states. Clearly, if the NATO alliance and its most important member, the U.S., do not adopt a proactive approach to restructure the institution and rebuild relations among the members, the alliance, together with the U.S., will lose its global effectiveness.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Muhittin Ataman is Director of Foreign Policy Studies at SETA Foundation. He is a professor in the Department of International Relations at Social Sciences University of Ankara. Ataman is also the Editor-in-Chief of Insight Turkey.

Armenpress: Artsakh soldier wounded as a result of Azerbaijani provocation

Emil Lazarian

Artsakh soldier wounded as a result of Azerbaijani provocation

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 00:38, 2 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Serviceman of the Defense Army of Artsakh Albert Bakhshiyan was wounded as a result of the provocation of the Azerbaijani forces, the Defense Ministry of Artsakh said.

The soldier is in satisfactory condition.

On August 1, starting at 09:00, the Azerbaijani forces resorted to provocation in a number of sections of the northern and north-western border zone of the Artsakh Republic, attempting to cross the line of contact, which were prevented by the Defense Army units.

New clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh signal ripple effects from Ukraine

Emil Lazarian
Aug 4 2022

The US should do everything in its power diplomatically to ensure that conflicts in Armenia-Azerbaijan and elsewhere aren’t reignited.


AUGUST 4, 2022
Written by
Anatol Lieven

The latest clash between Azeri and Armenian forces in the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh highlights the acute danger that the war in Ukraine will reignite other frozen and semi-frozen conflicts in Europe.

The United States and the West should do everything possible diplomatically to make sure that this does not happen. Apart from the human suffering involved, the results of new conflicts could in some cases be very unfavorable to the West.

The struggle over Nagorno-Karabakh — a largely Armenian enclave within Azerbaijan — began in the late 1980s, as the Soviet Union approached dissolution. For three years it was contained by Soviet troops, but with the end of the USSR it burst into a full-scale war, which Armenia won, with considerable help from the Armenian diaspora in the West. The resulting ceasefire mostly held from 1995 to 2020, when Azerbaijan — armed by Turkey and supported by plentiful energy revenues — launched an offensive that reconquered much of the territory held by Armenia.

The 2020 war was ended by a ceasefire brokered by Russia, and enforced by around 2,000 Russian peacekeeping troops. Armenia itself has a defense agreement with Russia, and Moscow maintains a military presence there. This agreement however does not extend to Nagorno-Karabakh, whose independence Russia does not recognize. Armenians regard the Russian alliance as crucial to ensuring that Turkey does not intervene directly in the Karabakh conflict on the side of the Azeris, with whom the Turks share a strong ethnic affinity.

Iran too has a stake in the Karabakh conflict. Tehran wants a continued Russian presence in the southern Caucasus to prevent NATO expansion to the region. It fears that Georgia and Azerbaijan might host U.S. military bases to threaten Iran, and that Azerbaijan might receive U.S. support to stir up separatism in Iranian Azerbaijan (the present Republic of Azerbaijan was part of Iran until conquered by Russia in the early 19th Century).

So far, Azerbaijan has held aloof from the war in Ukraine. It has provided humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but abstained from the UN General Assembly vote that condemned Russia’s invasion, and has refused to participate in Western sanctions against Russia. However, with the Russian armed forces bogged down in Ukraine, an obvious temptation exists for Azerbaijan to disregard the Russian peacekeeping force and launch a new offensive with the aim of total victory in Nagorno-Karabakh. The latest clash was preceded by a series of moves by Azerbaijan to put increased pressure on Nagorno-Karabakh.

This temptation also exists in Georgia. As with Nagorno-Karabakh, the ethnic minority territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia during the Soviet collapse, and were placed under the protection of Russian troops. A Georgian attempt to recover South Ossetia by force in 2008 resulted in crushing defeat by the Russian army. Once again, the war in Ukraine might seem to give Georgia the chance to redress this defeat and recover its lost territories.

Any such plans on the part of Georgians and Azeris should be strongly discouraged by the West. The Russian armed forces have fared poorly in Ukraine, but Russia remains vastly more powerful than Georgia and Azerbaijan. A war between Russia and Azerbaijan would bring with it the risk of Turkish and Iranian intervention and a general regional conflict.

In the case of Georgia, a fresh Georgian defeat at the hands of Russia would face the United States and NATO with a choice between humiliation, if they failed to intervene to help a partner, and the risk of direct war with Russia if they did intervene.

 In the case of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the European Union, in the person of European Council president Charles Michel, is acting as a mediator in an effort to reduce tensions and restore transport links. So far however, no progress at all appears to have been made on the central issue of Karabakh. In a very significant concession, the government of Armenia has made a gesture towards recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity; but Azerbaijan for its part has declared that Nagorno-Karabakh no longer exists as a territorial entity, which hardly suggests a willingness to compromise. Nor has the EU or any Western government suggested a willingness to send its own peacekeepers to the Caucasus to replace those of Russia.

Nonetheless, the West should go on working to try to resolve these conflicts, while doing its utmost diplomatically to prevent their escalation. Condemnation of Russia’s role in the southern Caucasus is easy. Replacing that role would be extremely hard. And bad though the existing situation is, absent wisdom and restraint it could easily get much worse for everyone involved.

Renewed tension in Nagorno-Karabakh: Yerevan and Baku report

Emil Lazarian

Aug 3 2022


  • Baku-Yerevan

Renewed tension in Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh is seeing renewed tension with events unfolding since August 1. Today, August 3, Armenia reported the use of grenade launchers and drones by the Azerbaijani armed forces. Two soldiers have been killed and others wounded. Late today, it also became known that the authorities of the unrecognized republic announced a partial military mobilization.

On August 2 the Russian peacekeeping mission, responsible for ensuring security in NK, confirmed that Azerbaijan had violated the ceasefire three times.

The authorities of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic report that Baku, through Russian peacekeepers, demanded that the transport route between NK and Armenia be changed in the near future. As of now, the Lachin corridor is the only road between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. In other words, Baku is seeking an alternative to the Lachin corridor.

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, has stated that “Azerbaijan‘s demand is illegitimate.”

All details known at this time, as well as the opinions of analysts about the possible causes of the aggravation.

  • Shelling in Karabakh and gunfire at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. What’s happening? Opinions from Yerevan
  • Regional processes without taking into account Armenian interests? Opinion
  • “Was Aliyev right?” On the withdrawal of the Armenian Armed Forces from Nagorno-Karabakh

Thus far the Armenian Defense Ministry has not made any statements. Information is being provided only by the Ministry of Defense of the unrecognized NKR. The use of attack drones by the Azerbaijani armed forces has been reported. As of 18:00, two Armenian soldiers have been killed and fourteen wounded.

Rumors of tough battles in NK until August 3 were denied. The situation is said to be “tense but stable”.

On the third day of the escalation, the Foreign Ministry of the unrecognized NKR issued a statement condemning recent events.

In the statement, Azerbaijan’s actions are called “another manifestation of hatred of Armenia, a rude attempt to violate peace and stability in the region, and to discredit the peacekeeping mission.”

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh calls on the international community to make a targeted assessment of the actions of Azerbaijan and take appropriate steps to curb the destructive policy of official Baku. The Armenians of Artsakh are unshakable and determined to live freely and independently on their land and overcome all difficulties with dignity,” the statement reads.

Meanwhile, local opposition in Nagorno-Karabakh is demanding a meeting with the command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.

“We see that peacekeepers either cannot or do not want to fulfill their obligations. We need to demand a meeting with command, ask them specific questions and get answers to them. The people of Artsakh should know what to expect in order to draw the appropriate conclusions and take the necessary next steps.

“If the leadership refuse to meet, there will be public pressure to achieve this meeting,” the opposition said in a statement.

Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Tbilisi – Yerevan and Baku continue to discuss the meeting of Mirzoyan and Bayramov

On August 2, telephone conversations between the Armenian prime minister and the Russian president, as well as between the foreign ministers, were reported. Pashinyan and Putin discussed issues related to the tripartite statements signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan.

Foreign Ministers Mirzoyan and Lavrov, according to an official statement:

  • discussed security in the region,
  • exchanged views on humanitarian problems caused by the 44-day war in Karabakh in 2020, in particular the release and repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees,
  • touched upon other issues of the regional and international agenda of mutual interest.

EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar expressed his concern about the latest Armenian-Azerbaijani military escalation.

“The European Union is committed to deepening its involvement in the peace process. We work at this on several levels. It is important to reduce tensions and seize an historic opportunity to turn the page on decades of conflict,” Klaar tweeted.

Baku wants to legitimize a new war, therefore it refuses dialogue, publicly accusing Armenia [of refusing to participate in negotiations]”- PM Pashinyan’s online press conference

Azerbaijan conveyed its demand to the authorities of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic through Russian peacekeepers. Baku wants a new route between Armenia and NK. Exact terms have not been disclosed.

Azerbaijan has announced the final stage of construction of a road bypassing Lachin on its side. For Armenia the alternative road is still only at the design stage. The beginning of construction is scheduled for this month.

As yet the only reaction comes from the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, who stated that Azerbaijan’s demand is groundless.

He referred to the sixth paragraph of the tripartite statement, dated November 9, 2020, according to which the plan for the construction of a new highway should be decided “by agreement of the parties (Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) in the next three years.”

“Of course, some work has been done in this direction, but there is no agreed upon plan yet. In any case, Armenia did not agree to any plan, so Azerbaijan’s demand is illegitimate,” Armen Grigoryan said.

Grigoryan said that Armenia proposed to agree and sign a plan for the construction of a new highway in a trilateral format, and then move on according to the schedule and roadmap.

Why has Azerbaijan decided to build a several-kilometer long Murovdag tunnel in Kalbajar region which will bypass Nagorno-Karabakh?

Though the official report does not indicate the direction in which the attack drones were deployed by Azerbaijan, political observer Hakob Badalyan believes it was toward the Lachin sector.

The fact that Azerbaijan “concentrated” on Lachin is shown by the statement demanding a new road between NK and Armenia.

Badalyan says that Azerbaijan has been building an alternative road in recent months, since Baku thus hopes to take Lachin under its control:

“Why is Baku now putting forward such demands when the agreement of November 9 clearly defines a three-year period? Because the question is not at all about the road, but a pretext for aggravating the situation, which Baku is after for other purposes.”

According to the observer, Baku is just adding fuel to the fire, most likely because a telephone conversation between the defense ministers of Russia and Azerbaijan did not lead to an agreement.

The day before, Shoigu and Gasanov had a telephone conversation in which they discussed security issues.

“After this conversation, the Russian peacekeeping contingent touched upon the August 1 provocation and stated that Azerbaijan had violated the ceasefire three times, and the Russian peacekeepers did not allow the line of contact to be changed,” Hakob Badalyan observes.

Badalyan still has questions: what is actually happening at the line of contact in NK and what is the motive of the attacks? According to him, one thing is clear – it all comes as diplomatic efforts are intensifying. He believes it no coincidence that this is happening before a meeting between Putin and Erdogan on August 5 in Sochi.

Political scientist Tigran Grigoryan believes that by creating tension, Azerbaijan is trying to force Armenia to make painful concessions:

“Azerbaijan has been preparing for this escalation for a long time. Baku constantly has accused Armenia of violating the ceasefire in the area from the south of the Kelbajar region to the north of the Lachin region. That is, a certain information background was being prepared for these operations.”

He does not believe, however, that it will escalate into a full-scale war.

“But it is obvious that Azerbaijan will try to achieve positional success in the coming hours and days,” the political scientist said.

“Western involvement in the region significantly weakens Russia” – Armenian experts discuss Russia’s influence and the role of the West in the South Caucasus

On the morning of August 3, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan issued a statement.

“According to the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on August 3, 2022, Azerbaijani army positions in the direction of the Lachin region were subjected to intense shelling by members of illegal Armenian armed formations on the territory of Azerbaijan, where the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is temporarily stationed, as a result of which soldier Kazimov Anar Rustam oglu was killed,” the document says.

The Foreign Ministry reported that Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated “that Armenia has not fulfilled the obligations assumed under the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020, and that the illegal Armenian armed groups have not yet been withdrawn from the territory of Azerbaijan.”

“The August 3 provocation once again shows that Armenia has grossly violated the trilateral agreement, and at the same time damaged the efforts to normalize relations between the two states. This is also an indicator of Armenia’s disrespect for the efforts of international mediators.

“All responsibility for the incident that occurred on the territory of Azerbaijan lies with the political and military leadership of Armenia, which has not yet withdrawn its illegal armed formations from the territory of a neighboring state.

“We will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the security of the territories of Azerbaijan and the inviolability of its borders,” the Foreign Ministry said in its statement.

“Today the tandem between Azerbaijan and Turkey is too strong. Moscow, in turn, prefers allied relations with Ankara” – Former Azerbaijani FM Tofig Zulfugarov about the situation around Karabakh

On the evening of August 3, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan issued a statement on the events of that day in Karabakh.

“Members of illegal Armenian armed gangs located on the territory of Azerbaijan, in the zone of temporary responsibility of the RMC, grossly violated the provisions of the statement of November 10, 2020, and on August 3 carried out a terrorist-sabotage operation against units of the Azerbaijani army. During the terrorist attack, soldier Kazimov Anar Rustam oglu was killed,” the press service of the Ministry of Defense reports.

“In addition, members of the illegal Armenian armed groups attempted to capture the Gyrkhgyz heights, located on a mountain range covering the territory of the Kelbajar and Lachin regions, and establish new combat positions there.

“As a result of the retaliatory operation “Retribution” carried out by units of the Azerbaijani army, the heights of Girkhgyz, Sarybaba and a number of other important strategic areas along the Karabakh ridge of the Lesser Caucasus, were taken under control. Currently, our divisions are carrying out engineering work to create new positions and lay out communications and support routes.

“As part of the operation, several combat positions of illegal Armenian armed formations were destroyed, and an air strike was carried out on a military unit in the village of Yukhara Oratagh of the former Agdara region. Members of illegal Armenian gangs were killed and wounded, and several D-30 howitzers, military vehicles and a large amount of ammunition were destroyed.

“The Republic of Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that, contrary to the tripartite statement, the existence of the armed forces of Armenia and illegal Armenian gangs on the territory of Azerbaijan, in the zone of temporary responsibility of the RCC, is a threat. The demilitarization of these territories, the complete withdrawal of Armenian troops therefrom and the disarmament of illegal Armenian gangs, is the absolute responsibility of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

“The Ministry of Defense declares that, guided by the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, from now on any terror or provocation committed on the sovereign territory of our country will be resolutely suppressed, and response measures will be even more definitive,” the defense ministry declared.

According to Azerbaijani political scientist Turan Rzayev, Blinken’s calls to Aliyev and Pashinyan on the same day attract attention

“If you notice, another escalation took place after the meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Tbilisi,” Azerbaijani political observer Shahin Jafarli comments on the latest developments in Karabakh.

According to Jafarli, Russia is not interested in discussing the problems of Azerbaijan and Armenia on its own, preparing a peace treaty, and sees no need to put an end to this confrontation.

“Moscow advises acting only within the terms of the tripartite statement of November 10, 2020,” he states.

Jafarli argues that a peace treaty between the countries will call into question the existence of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in the region, and therefore it is important for Moscow to manage tension, sometimes allowing the parties some provocations.

“The continuation of the conflict situation makes the presence of peacekeepers necessary and, as it were, legitimizes their presence. Russia conveys a message to the world that the Azerbaijanis and Armenians are ready to eat each other alive, and if Russian troops are not there, just imagine what would happen. In this view of the state of affairs in the region, the West is forced to agree that the Russian soldier is the guarantor of the security of Armenians in the region.

“And therefore, if the parties really want a solution to the problem, they should avoid provoking each other as much as possible, not leave the negotiating table, and be obliged to continue dialogue.

“But the situation is complicated by the fact that illegal armed groups in Karabakh do not obey the Pashinyan government. Even if tomorrow the Armenian Armed Forces withdrew from Karabakh, Russia will continue its provocations through the “NKR army”, as is being done now.

“On the other hand, the support of the Pashinyan government is not strong, and there is plenty of pro-Russian opposition with considerable resources inside the country. Russia is still able to destabilize the situation in Armenia and create chaos there. For this reason, the Pashinyan government has to be very cautious in its dialogue with Azerbaijan.

“To summarize everything very briefly, we cannot get out of this vicious cycle,” Shahin Jafarli concluded.

Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan, Armenia trade blame over renewed clashes

Emil Lazarian
Deutsche Welle, Germany
Aug 3 2022

The EU has demanded an end to the fighting, which left several soldiers dead. Yerevan and Baku pointed fingers at one another over the latest violence.

Clashes broke out between Azerbaijani forces and the Karabakh army on Wednesday, leaving at least three people dead.

The latest flare of violence has jeopardized a fragile truce in the region, with European leaders urging restraint.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense said one of its soldiers died following a “terrorist act” by “illegal military formations.”

As a consequence, Baku said it carried out a “retaliatory operation,” leading to an unspecified number of “illegal Armenian militants” being injured. 

Baku also demanded the complete withdrawal of Armenian troops around Nagorno-Karabakh.    

The Karabakh army, which is ethnically Armenian, said two of its soldiers were killed and 14 were wounded by Azerbaijani forces.

The enclave’s separatist leader, Arayik Harutyunyan, announced a partial mobilization Wednesday, further escalating the crisis.    

Armenia’s foreign ministry called on the “international community to take measures to stop the aggressive actions and attitude of Azerbaijan.”

Yerevan said Azerbaijan attacked areas which are patrolled by peacekeepers. 

A spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell urged an immediate end to Karabakh hostilities. 

“It is essential to de-escalate, fully respect the cease-fire and return to the negotiating table to seek negotiated solutions,” Borrell’s spokesperson said. 

Russia’s Defense Ministry blamed Azerbaijan for breaking the cease-fire, which Moscow brokered in 2020. 

“In the Saribaba area, the cease-fire regime was violated by the armed forces of Azerbaijan,” the Russian ministry said in a statement. Moscow claimed it “was taking measures to stabilize the situation” with the help of Armenian and Azerbaijani representatives. 

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought over Nagorno-Karabakh for six weeks in the fall of 2020 prior to the truce, with the conflict that year leaving over 6,500 people dead.

As part of the cease-fire, Armenia forfeited parts of Nagorno-Karabakh it controlled to Azerbaijan.  

Despite the truce, sporadic clashes have persisted between the two sides, reducing the chances of a long-term peace agreement in the region. 

wd/rs (Reuters, AFP, dpa)

U.S. concerned by fighting in disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region

Emil Lazarian
Aug 4 2022
Thu, August 4, 2022 at 3:14 AM

(Reuters) – The U.S. government is “deeply concerned” by fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, a State Department spokesman said on Wednesday.

“We urge immediate steps to reduce tensions and avoid further escalation,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Eric Beech)

US expresses deep concern over escalation of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Emil Lazarian
Aug 4 2022
ANI | Washington DC 
The United States has expressed deep concern over reports of intensive fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh, including casualties and the loss of life and has urged immediate steps to reduce tensions and avoid further escalation. “The recent increase in tensions underscores the need for a negotiated, comprehensive, and sustainable settlement of all remaining issues related to or resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the US State Department said.

Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan with Armenian support after a bloody post-Soviet conflict in the early 1990s. In 2020, Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a war over the region and Baku successfully won back part of the territory controlled by the separatists. Under the terms of a subsequent ceasefire, Russian peacekeepers were deployed to protect the remainder of the separatist-held territory. Both sides accuse each other of breaches, and in recent days violence has flared.

The Azerbaijani Armed Forces breached the ceasefire in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in the area of the height of Sarybaba, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a report on the activities of Russian peacekeepers of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “The situation in the zone of responsibility of the contingent is aggravated. In the area of the height of Sarybaba, the ceasefire regime was breached by the armed forces of Azerbaijan.”

“The command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, together with representatives of the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides, is taking measures to stabilize the situation,” the ministry said. The Azerbaijani military captured several heights in Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday, the Defence Ministry’s press office told Sputnik.

According to the ministry, Armenian soldiers committed sabotage against the Azerbaijani military in violation of trilateral agreements between Baku, Yerevan and Moscow. “As a result of the response operation carried out by the units of the Azerbaijan military, several heights in Karabakh were taken under control,” the office said. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Fighting resumes in Nagorno-Karabakh

Emil Lazarian
Aug 4 2022
By Ani Mejlumyan in Yerevan August 4, 2022
During clashes on August 3 on the Nagorno-Karabakh contact line, one Azerbaijani and two Armenian soldiers were killed, with each side blaming the other for the escalation of hostilities. 
 
Karabakh’s Defence Army, the Armenian enclave’s military, said that the soldiers were killed by Azerbaijani drone attacks, which also left 14 other Karabakh servicemen wounded. According to Karabakh authorities, Azerbaijani forces also used mortars and grenade launchers to strike its frontline positions and one of its bases two days after trying unsuccessfully to advance into western Karabakh. Arayik Harutiunyan, the de facto president, has ordered a “partial mobilisation” of the disputed enclave.
 
Russian peacekeeping forces are “taking measures to stabilise the situation,” a Karabakh defence ministry statement read. 
 
The Russian peacekeeping leadership also released a statement, accusing Azerbaijan of violation of the ceasefire regime around Saribaba. “The command of the Russian peacekeeping contingent, together with representatives of the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides, are taking measures to stabilise the situation,” the report said.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan blamed the Azerbaijani side during a meeting with Andrzej Kasprzyk, head of a small OSCE mission monitoring the ceasefire regime in Karabakh. Mirzoyan said Baku attempts to “destabilise the situation”.

The Karabakh foreign ministry condemned the “new wave of Azerbaijan’s aggressive actions against Artsakh [the Armenian name for Karabakh]”.

Karabakh’s leadership conveyed  that Azerbaijan has demanded the closure of the Lachin corridor, which is the only overland link between Armenia and Karabakh, saying that “traffic must be organised along a new route shortly”.

Armenia’s Security Council secretary, Armen Grigoryan, dismissed the issue “It’s not legitimate.” He argued that under the agreement, Azerbaijan and Armenia must work out the new road by 2024.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry reported that an 18-year-old soldier was killed in the morning when its positions in the Lachin district west of Karabakh came under “intensive” fire. At the same time, Karabakh denied any clashes in Lachin and claimed that the road was open and safe.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry afterwards blamed Armenia for the fighting, saying that Yerevan has not withdrawn its troops from Karabakh and is in breach of the ceasefire agreement reached after the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war. However, since September, Armenia has  pledged to withdraw forces and not send fresh recruits.

The country’s Ministry of Defence blamed Armenian authorities in Karabakh for reigniting the clashes. “Members of illegal Armenian armed detachments attempted to seize the Girkhgiz high ground, located on a mountain range covering the territory of the Kalbajar and Lachin regions, and establish new combat positions there,” the ministry said.
 
Entitling its operation “Revenge”, Azerbaijan claims to have captured Girkhgiz, as well as Saribaba and several advantageous heights. “During the operation, several combat positions of illegal Armenian armed detachments were destroyed, and an airstrike was inflicted on a military unit stationed in the Upper Oratagh settlement. As a result, the manpower of illegal Armenian detachments was annihilated and wounded, as well as several D-30 howitzers, military vehicles and a large amount of ammunition were destroyed,” Anar Eyvazov, the ministry’s spokesman said in a press meeting on 3 August.
 
Azerbaijani Foreign Affairs Minister Jeyhun Bayramov likewise blamed the Armenian side. “These provocations of the Armenian side are a gross violation of the tripartite declarations signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia, as well as the declarations between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia mediated by the President of the Council of the European Union, Charles Michel, and undermine mediation efforts,” he said in a call with Toivo Klaar, Designated EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus.