21:34, 3 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Different intensity skirmishes between positions takes place at the moment along the contact line, ARMENPRESS reports spokesperson of MoD Armenia Shushan Stepanyan wrote on her Facebook page.
‘’Defense Army units confidently keep control of the situation’’, she wrote.
Stepanyan also reminded that at 20:26 Azerbaijan also fired missiles against Stepanakert.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
21:46, 3 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. There are combat formations and military convoys along the entire Armenia-Azerbaijan border, representative of the MoD Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a press conference, answering the question of ARMENPRESS if the Russian media reports about movement of Azerbaijani troops along the Armenian border involving mercenaries from Syria, Libya, Pakistan corresponds to the reality.
‘’I can neither deny nor confirm it. I can say that there are military convoys and combat formations along the entire Armenia-Azerbaijan border, but I am confident that mercenary terrorists from different countries will be among them’’, Hovhannisyan said.
He added that no military operations take place along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, but movement of troops is detected, also the Azerbaijani side takes provocative actions, which are being prevented.
‘’Our Armed Forces implement their tasks at a high level’’, he said.
Starting from September 27, Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey and thousands of terrorists unleashed military operations against Artsakh, using its entire arsenal and targeting even civilian population both in Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia.
Turkey has deployed mercenaries from the northern parts of Syria to Azerbaijan to fight against Artsakh and Armenia. The number of mercenaries ranges between 3.000-4.000, who according to international media reports are paid 1500-2000USD monthly to fight against Armenia and Artsakh.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
21:21, 3 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. 440-450 Azerbaijani soldiers and terrorists have been killed on Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line clashes on October 3, ARMENPRESS reports representative of the MoD Armenia Artsrun Hovhannisyan said in a press conference.
‘’According to the summarized information for October 3, 21:00, the adversary has suffered 440-450 manpower losses, which includes servicemen and non servicemen-terrorists. 800-900 are injured. 45 armored vehicles were destroyed during combat operation and 8-9 dozens were destroyed before starting combat mission. 3 aircrafts, 1 helicopter, 10 UAVs and 3 ‘’Smerch’’ systems were also destroyed’’, Hovhannisyan said.
He added that Azerbaijan has suffered a total of 2300 manpower losses, 113 UAVs and 375-385 armored vehicles.
Artsrun Hovhannisyan noted that today’s military operations were extremely fierce and tense in the northern and southern parts of Artsakh. The adversary attempted to break through the front line, but after fierce clashes the Armenian side was able to stop that operation. Non stop clashes continued for 6-7 hours.
Starting from September 27, Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey and thousands of terrorists unleashed military operations against Artsakh, using its entire arsenal and targeting even civilian population both in Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
22:01, 3 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Mher Margaryan gave an interview to Arab News Daily, noting that the aggression of Azerbaijan and Turkey against Armenia and Artsakh is not just an aggression against Armenians, but against the basic values of the humanity and what the United Nations stands for.
ARMENPRES presents the non official translation of the interview.
Question: The clashes over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh have been the fiercest since 1990s.Fears are growing over a regional war that might draw in Russia and Turkey. We are going to talk in depth about what’s going on there with Ambassador Mher Margaryan, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. Thank you so much for joining us,Ambassador.
Over the past few days, France has been sparring with Turkey over the clashes. PresidentMacron has sent a very clear message to Turkey that these war-like messages are not going to be accepted by France. At the same time, we see Russia point to the foreign interference. Reuters has reported that Turkey sending foreign fighters to fight in Nagorno-Karabakh. How concerned are you about foreign interference and outside forces slowly taking part in what’s happening right now?
Answer: Thank you for this opportunity. As you have already mentioned, there are many credible reports about the involvement of foreign terrorist fighters and mercenaries, and there have been calls from the international community, also, from the Minsk Group Co-chairs. The foreign mercenaries, who, actually, are being recruited and transported with the support of Turkey (and we have to name the names here), have been very destructive elements, and their activities and transportation to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone needs to be stopped.
Q։ A lot has been said about the timing of the eruption, or re-eruption of this conflict. What can you tell us about the timing? Why now?
A: The belligerent actions of Azerbaijan have been preceded by many years of dangerous rhetoric of hate speech and Armenophobia, openly and consistently promulgated by Azerbaijan at the highest political level. The leadership of Azerbaijan has been promoting hate crimes and glorifying hate criminals. At the same time, they have been spending billions of dollars to acquire deadly offensive weaponry and openly threatening the people of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh with promises to use force. It comes as no surprise for those who have been following it that the statement made by the president of Azerbaijan at the General Debate of the 75th session of the General Assembly last week was not only a textbook manifestation of hate speech but also, as we have come to realize, as a declaration of war against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, with a clear genocidal intent. The offensive also comes amidst a global crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, when the international community is focused on fighting the disease. Obviously, one may think that the leadership of Azerbaijan has decided to take advantage of the global vulnerabilities caused by the pandemic, also, in light of the internal instabilities that they are experiencing. This is not just an attack against the Armenians. This is an attack against the basic norms of humanity, an attack against what the United Nations stands for.
Q։ Speaking of the United Nations. The UN Secretary-General Guterres has called for cessation of all hostilities and for all the parties to come together to a negotiating table. Of course, Azerbaijan and Armenia refused to come back to the negotiations. What can you tell us about that? What will it take to sit down and negotiate and is that a possibility, to start with?
A։ Armenia has never refused peaceful negotiations, we have been on record of encouraging, also, the participation of the representatives of the elected authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh to sit down with Azerbaijan and to engage in peaceful talks. The UN Secretary-General has, indeed called for immediate return to negotiations and to stop fighting and deescalate tensions. It doesn’t seem to be the intention of Azerbaijan to follow that call, though. I would also like to recall that the UN Secretary-General has made an appeal for an immediate global ceasefire, at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Back in March, he was calling for pulling back the hostilities and silencing guns, stopping artillery, ending air strikes. Armenia was one of the first countries to support this appeal, and more than 170 countries supported it, too. Azerbaijan not only refused to support the Secretary-General’s appeal but also resorted to large-scale military aggression.
Q։ What is the role of the Mink Group today, in the circumstances we are living in? Is it still capable of containing the dispute effort to contain the dispute? Do you expect the members – France, US, Russia – to overcome their differences over other conflicts and maybe rally behind Armenia?
A: The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship is the only internationally mandated format to mediate the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Co-chair countries have expressed on several occasions their unified position on the principles of the resolution of the conflict and they have made it clear that the hostilities need to stop. There have also been statements by the Co-chair countries, calling for external parties and foreign fighters to stay away from the conflict. I believe it is clear who the calls are addressed to.
Q։ What do you think Turkey really wants out of all of this? What is your message to your international community on how Yerevan expects the world to deal with Turkey right now?
A։ We see the Turkish involvement as another attempt of exporting instability to our region. We have been observing increasing engagement of the Turkish military in the conflict zone. This is something that needs to be condemned by the international community. The destabilizing record of Turkey, be it in the Eastern Mediterranean, in the Middle East, is well known.
Q։ How much of this is about the strategic importance of the region, being a corridor to the oil pipelines that distribute oil to markets all over the world? How much of it has to do with this important fact?
A։ This makes the situation very dangerous and, if Azerbaijan and Turkey are not contained, it can lead to an escalation, the consequences of which can have devastating impact on the entire region and beyond. Azerbaijan and Turkey must come to their senses and head to the calls of the international community, including the recent calls of the UN Secretary General, also, bearing in mind the outcome of the UN Security Council’s meeting yesterday, and need to commit to peace, in good faith.
Q։ How do the Armenians feel about the conflict in that region that has consumed decades and caused many lives and displacement? What is the importance of this region in the consciousness of the Armenians?
A։ The people of Nagorno-Karabakh exercised their right to self-determination in 1991. They have every right to live in their ancestral historical land, without fears or foreign coercion. The right to self-determination, which is enshrined in the UN Charter, is at the core of the issue. They have exercised this right by way of a referendum, back in December 1991, in accordance with the applicable laws of the time. Armenia, as a guarantor of the security of the people of Nagorno-Karbakh, will take every measure to defend their inalienable rights. Armenians all over the world are strongly united on this matter, because we, as Armenians, we cannot allow another genocide to be perpetrated against the Armenian population in course of the Azerbaijani military aggression encouraged and supported by Turkey.
Q։ What about the United States? The United States has not prioritized the Nagorno-Karabakh since 2001, I believe. Do you expect a more active American role?
A: The United States is one of the Co-chairs of the Minks Group. We very much appreciate their role and engagement, along with that of Russia and France. The United States has been vocal on the recent escalation, calling for immediate cessation of hostilities and discouraging external actors from getting involved in this conflict. We would very much wish to see a stronger engagement, together with the other two Co-chairs of the Minsk Group.
Q։ Do you see the region, being what it is right now, with all the conflicts in the Eastern Mediterranean, the conflict with Iran – your Prime Minister talked today to the President of Iran – do you think all of these may be an incentive for the United States to move Nagorno-Karabakh up on its priorities?
A։ We hope it is on the list of priorities, and we hope the Co-chair countries will continue to have a unified, cohesive position on the principles of the resolution of the conflict.
Q։ Who wants this conflict to escalate? Who is benefiting from this conflict?
A։ It is hard to say who would benefit from this conflict but apparently it is well known who is instigating this conflict and who has started it, not only to the expert community and the mediators but also to the larger international community. We have been observing years of accumulation of military build-ups and offensive weaponry by Azerbaijan, observing the escalation of hate speech and instigation of hatred against the Armenians, not only those who live in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia but Armenians in general, all over the world. Those are very well-documented facts, strongly criticized by the international organizations. It is no surprise that in his address to the General Assembly, the President of Azerbaijan singled out several prominent international human rights organization and criticized them for condemning the human rights violations in that country.
Q։ Can you send a very direct message to the Azeri president?
A։ In fact, the message to the Azeri president has been sent several times by the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan who made it very clear that any solution to this long-standing conflict must be acceptable to the people of Armenia, to the people of Nagorno Karabakh and to the people of Azerbaijan (he also clearly mentioned that this should be without prejudice to the order to the parties concerned). This very strong and very important message, however, has not been reciprocated by the Azerbaijani side. Instead, the recent instigation of violence by the leadership of this country gives very little assurance that they are able to reciprocate such a call. So, the message has been expressed loudly and clearly by the Prime Minister of Armenia. It has not been reciprocated, and the recent reckless attacks and aggression against Nagorno-Karabakhleads us to believe it will not be reciprocated any time soon.
23:14, 3 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan gave an interview to Al-Jazeera today. A number of news outlets published an out-of-context formulation attributed to the PM, causing various comments in the media.
For avoiding any future speculations over the issue, ARMENPRESS state news agency is authorized to present to all its media partners the transcript of that part of the Prime Minister’s interview.
Bernard Smith – Would you want to see Russian peacekeepers for example in Nagorno-Karabakh?
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan – You see those issues could be discussed in the context of the wider resolution, within the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmanship
ARMENPRESS news agency calls on the specialists to deal with such important issues with great sense of responsibility and caution.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
22:43, 3 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. As a result of the Azerbaijani strikes against Artsakh’s capital Stepanakert, the electricity network building has been damaged. The correspondent of ARMENPRESS reports from Stepanakert that at the moment the city is out of electricity.
At this moment the situation in Stepanakert is calm.
Starting from September 27, Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey and thousands of terrorists unleashed military operations against Artsakh, using its entire arsenal and targeting even civilian population both in Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia.International reporters have also been targeted, including the reporters of French Le-Monde.
Turkey has deployed mercenaries from the northern parts of Syria to Azerbaijan to fight against Artsakh and Armenia. The number of mercenaries ranges between 3.000-4.000, who according to international media reports are paid 1500-2000USD monthly to fight against Armenia and Artsakh.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
23:39, 3 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Armenia presented the total manpower and military equipment losses of Azerbaijan.
Manpower – 2745
UAV – 123
Helicopters – 14
Aircrafts – 14
Armored vehicles – 355
Smerch system – 4
00:05, 4 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. This is his second conversation with Merkel in the recent few days.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, PM Pashinyan gave information about the developments in the military operations. He told about the participation of Turkish military officers, as well as the recent exposure of sending mercenaries and militants to Syria by Turkey.
The German Chancellor highlighted the cessation of fire and restoration of the peace process in line with the October 1 statement of the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
Ganja military airbase is 'no more' – Artsakh says
10:49, 4 October, 2020
STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The Ganja military airbase used by the Azeri forces to attack Artsakh’s civilians has been completely destroyed, Artsakh’s presidential spokesperson Vahram Poghosyan said.
“The Ganja military airport is no more,” he said.
“Despite numerous warnings, the Azerbaijani terrorist army continues targeting the peaceful population of Stepanakert with Polonez and Smerch systems. From now on the military facilities permanently deployed in Azerbaijan’s major cities are legitimate targets of the Defense Army. I am calling on the Azerbaijani population to immediately leave these cities to avoid possible losses,” President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan said.
Harutyunyan warned that the entire responsibility falls on the Azeri leadership.
UPDATES: The original version of this article has been updated with President Harutyunyan's statement.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
08:10, 4 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Defense Ministry reports that a firefight is taking place at the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact.
“A firefight is taking place at the Artsakh front, artillery gunfire is also taking place at lesser intensity in separate sections,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan said in the morning of October 4.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan