Author: Emil Lazarian

MOSCOW

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

Putin and Pashinyan discussed the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) peace-keeping mission in Kazakhstan and the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, a Kremlin statement said.

“Taking into account Armenia’s chairmanship in the Collective Security Treaty Organization, an exchange of views was held on the progress of the CSTO peacekeeping operation in Kazakhstan. Effective coordinated actions of the peacekeeping contingent contributing to the normalization of the situation in the republic were noted.

“The current situation around Nagorno-Karabakh and some issues of implementation of the agreements recorded in the statements of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, dated Nov. 9, 2020, Jan. 11, and Nov. 26, 2021, were discussed,” it said.

On Jan. 2, protests broke out in Kazakhstan over a rise in liquefied petroleum gas prices (LPG) in the city of Zhanaozen in Mangystau, which later turned into clashes with the police, with the most violent developments in Kazakhstan’s former capital Almaty.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev requested help from the CSTO allies and in a short period, peacekeepers from Russia, Belarus, Armenia, and Tajikistan arrived in the country and backed the Kazakh law enforcement in restoring order.

Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Their most recent clashes were in September 2020, during which Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades.

A Russia-brokered deal brought an end to 44 days of intense conflict in November 2020.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan border

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday vowed that his government will continue to thwart the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to address the Karabakh conflict, while the organizations chairman in office, using its traditional false parity, called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from the use of force.

The latest statement from the OSCE Chairman in Office was in response to Azerbaijan’s attack on Armenian positions in the Gegharkunik Province on Tuesday, as a result of which three Armenian soldiers were killed.

In remarks on Tuesday, Aliyev blamed Armenia for Tuesday’s border flare up and again threatened war against Armenia, vowing that Azerbaijan will “eliminate” any perceived threat immediately. He also claimed that six to eight Armenian soldiers were killed, countering Armenia’s official number, which was revised Wednesday to three soldiers who lost their lives in combat on Tuesday.

“This is not the first attempt of provocation by the Armenian side. Unfortunately, all the retaliatory steps taken by us in the past have not been a lesson for Armenia yet, and yesterday’s case was no exception,” said Aliyev with another overt threat of war against Armenia.

“Azerbaijan is closely monitoring the military build-up in Armenia, either by itself or through its allies,” said Aliyev, in a not so veiled reference to Russia.

“I have openly said that even if we see the slightest threat to our security, that danger will be eliminated immediately. Regardless of where it is, how deep it is located in the territory of Armenia. Everyone should understand that—first and foremost the leadership of Armenia,” said Aliyev.

The Azerbaijani leader vowed that Baku will continue to buy modern weapons to increase the army’s combat readiness. As a means of improving the army, Aliyev emphasized the need to create special units, which he claimed “did their best” during the 2020 44-day war in Karabakh.

Referring to the Karabakh issue, Aliyev insisted that Baku would continue to “thwart attempts by the OSCE Minsk Group to deal with it.”

“I do not know what the Minsk Group is doing. They are preparing for jubilee celebrations,” said the Aliyev, reminding that the mission was formed in 1992, thus marking its 30th anniversary.

“But all jokes aside, I think they [the Minsk Group] should formulate their own agenda,” Aliyev said. “I can say what they should not do: They should not deal with the Karabakh issue, because it has been resolved. We have solved it instead of them. “

Since the end of the 2020 war, Aliyev, on several occasions, has stated that the Karabakh conflict has been resolved through the war, calling on all parties involved to “look ahead.”

Yet the OSCE on Wednesday continued to maintain its insistence to call on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from the use of force, urging the two countries to “engage in meaningful dialogue to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

“We are closely monitoring the situation in the South Caucasus. We call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from the use of force and engage in a meaningful dialogue to settle the dispute around Nagorno Karabakh. Poland as OSCE Chair is committed to working with partners to renew and strengthen our efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace and promoting sustainable development in the region. We will support the effort of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in this regard,” the organization’s statement said.

Poland’s Foreign Minister, Zbigniew Rau, on behalf of the OSCE’s chairmanship, expressed “deep concern” about the violent attacks against Armenia on Tuesday.

He reiterated the statement of the OSCE Chairman-in-office.

An Armenia border patrol soldier in Gegharkunik

Azerbaijani forces on Tuesday launched an attack on Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province, killing two soldiers of Armenia’s Armed Forces and injuring three.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry said that Private Arthur Mkhitaryan (born 2002) and Junior Sergeant Rudik Gharibyan (born 2002) were killed when Azerbaijani forces shot at Armenian positions using artillery and drones.

The attacks began at around 3:15 p.m. local time when Azerbaijani forces opened fire at Armenian military positions near the Verin Shorzha village in the Gegharkunik Province. One soldier was wounded with “moderately severe” injuries, according to Armenia’s Defense Ministry.

Azerbaijani forces resumed their attacks at 5:30 p.m. local time, with Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan reporting that the military units near Verin Shorzha and Nerkin Shorzha villages were targeted. Mkhitaryan and Gharibyan were killed during this attack, while two other soldiers sustained non life threatening injuries, according to the defense ministry.

The cross-border shooting continued well after 6:30 p.m. local time.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned what it called in a statement “the gross violation of the ceasefire by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.”

“The provocation of the units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces is another manifestation of the continuous encroachments of Azerbaijan on the territorial integrity of Armenia, which began on May 12, 2021 with the intrusion into the sovereign territory and continued with regular armed attacks,” the Foreign Ministry statement said.

“The Republic of Armenia draws the attention of the international community to the fact that official Baku, by continuing its encroachments on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia, violates the basic principles of international law, including the UN Charter, and undermines regional security,” the statement emphasized.

The foreign ministry said that Armenia “has repeatedly stated that one of the ways to avoid further aggravation of the situation may be the withdrawal of troops and the launch of an international monitoring mechanism along the border.” It also called on Azerbaijani authorities to “refrain from provocative actions, to fulfill their commitment to establish stability in the region assumed after the meetings in Sochi and Brussels.”

During a phone conversation, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan briefed U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried about Azerbaijan’s latest ceasefire violation.

The call, which was initiated by Donfried, also focused on the Karabakh conflict settlement through the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, the release of all prisoners of war, as well as efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Turkey and the situation in Kazakhstan.

“The Azerbaijani authorities are acting in clear violation of international rules,” said Tatoyan, the Human Rights Defender. “They are responsible for crimes committed: killing 2 Armenian servicemen in Gegharkunik today, for violating their right to life, for harming the health of wounded servicemen, as well as for disrupting the security of the civilian population and aggression against people.”