Category: 2021

Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh focus on restoring civilian life there, says top brass

Arsine Chaltikian
TASS, Russia
Dec 9 2021
It is mentioned that the main objectives were "demining the area and objects, returning prisoners of war and detained individuals, searching for the bodies of those killed, ensuring the security of the delivery of humanitarian cargo and implementing infrastructure projects"

MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. Russian servicemen are currently focusing on returning POWs, implementing infrastructure projects and resolving other humanitarian issues within the framework of the peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov said.

"In addition to monitoring the ceasefire and all military actions, the efforts of our peacekeepers are focused on restoring a life of peace to the region, while humanitarian objectives are being successfully dealt with," he said at a briefing for foreign military attaches on Thursday.

The main objectives were "demining the area and objects, returning prisoners of war and detained individuals, searching for the bodies of those killed, ensuring the security of the delivery of humanitarian cargo and implementing infrastructure projects," the general specified.

"The Russian armed forces continue to implement peacekeeping tasks in Nagorno-Karabakh. Over a year ago, the deadly war ended and conditions were created for the restoration of peace in the region. In order to reduce tensions and maintain adherence to the ceasefire, the Russian peacekeepers organized on-duty observation posts and patrols in the zone of the peacekeeping operation," the chief of General Staff said. He also reiterated that "since this January, a joint Russian-Turkish center has been additionally operating in Azerbaijan’s Agdam Region to monitor the ceasefire and all military action."


Yerevan says Azerbaijani army begins heavy shelling of Armenian positions

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
TASS, Russia
Dec 9 2021
On Thursday morning, Armenia’s Defense Ministry reported Azerbaijan’s shelling of Armenian positions on the country’s eastern border

YEREVAN, December 9. /TASS/. The Azerbaijani Armed Forces began the heavy shelling of Armenian positions in the Gegharkunik region, the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"The Azerbaijani Armed Forces staged another provocation at 04:25 pm on December 9, opening heavy fire from small arms of various calibers on Armenian military positions along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the Gegharkunik region. Armenia retaliated. As of 05:00 pm, the exchange of fire continued," the statement reads.

On Thursday morning, Armenia’s Defense Ministry reported Azerbaijan’s shelling of Armenian positions on the country’s eastern border.

Intense fighting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces broke out in the border areas of Armenia's Syunik Province on November 16. Yerevan said that the Azerbaijani armed forces had launched an offensive into Armenia's territory, which threatened an international highway connecting the Armenian capital with the country's southern regions and Iran. Baku laid the blame on Yerevan, accusing the Armenian Armed Forces of staging a provocation. According to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Armenian troops attacked Azerbaijani positions.

Given the situation, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu held separate telephone talks with his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that following the conversations, the Armenian and Azerbaijani defense chiefs took measures to stabilize the situation on the border.

Baku says Armenian army shells Azerbaijani positions in Kalbajar district

Elizabeth Jabejian
TASS, Russia
Dec 9 2021
According to the Defense Ministry, the Azerbaijani ministry took appropriate retaliatory measures

BAKU, December 9. /TASS/. The Armenian Armed Forces opened fire on Azerbaijani positions in the Kalbajar district along the border between the two countries, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

"The Armenian Armed Forces staged another provocation on the state border in the Kalbajar district, where Azerbaijani positions came under fire by Armenian units stationed in the Basarkechar district of the country at about 03:00 pm on December 9," the statement reads.

According to the Defense Ministry, the Azerbaijani ministry took appropriate retaliatory measures. "Our troops maintain full control of the situation," the statement adds.

Intense fighting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces broke out in the border areas of Armenia's Syunik Province on November 16. Yerevan said that the Azerbaijani armed forces had launched an offensive into Armenia's territory, which threatened an international highway connecting the Armenian capital with the country's southern regions and Iran. Baku laid the blame on Yerevan, accusing the Armenian Armed Forces of staging a provocation. According to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, Armenian troops attacked Azerbaijani positions.

Given the situation, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu held separate telephone talks with his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that following the conversations, the Armenian and Azerbaijani defense chiefs took measures to stabilize the situation on the border.

Armenian Defense Ministry says Azerbaijan opens fire on its positions

Babken Chilingarian
TASS, Russia
Dec 9 2021
There were no casualties on the Armenian side

YEREVAN, December 9. /TASS/. Armenian Defense Ministry on Thursday said the country’s armed forces came under fire on the eastern border from Azerbaijan.

"Late in the evening on December 8 Azerbaijan’s military units opened fire with weapons of different caliber against the positions of Armenian positions in the eastern part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Retaliatory measures suppressed the enemy fire. There were no casualties on the Armenian side," the Armenian Defense Ministry said.

Fierce clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces took place in the border districts of Armenia’s Syunik Region on November 16. Yerevan said the Azerbaijani military had launched an offensive into Armenian territory. The road connecting the country’s capital with southern regions and Iran was under threat. Baku blamed the incident on Armenia, accusing the Armenian armed forces of a provocation. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said Armenian troops had attacked Azerbaijani military posts.

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has held telephone conversations with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts. The Russian Defense Ministry’s press-service said the Azerbaijani and Armenian defense minsters later took measures to stabilize the situation.

Azerbaijani serviceman killed on border with Armenia

Vicken Chmshkian
TASS, Russia
Dec 9 2021
In response to the events, the Russian Defense Minister held phone talks with his counterparts in Armenia and Azerbaijan

BAKU, December 9. / TASS /. An Azerbaijani serviceman has been killed on the frontier with Armenia, the Defense Ministry of the republic said on Thursday.

"As a result of another provocation carried out by the Armenian forces, serviceman Asif Aliyev has been killed during the night of December 8 on the Kelbajar direction of the Azerbaijani-Armenian border," the statement reads.

According to the Defense Ministry, "after some appropriate measures taken by the Azerbaijani army, the enemy was suppressed." Baku assigned responsibility for the incident to the Armenian military-political leadership.

On November 16, violent clashes between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out at their border. Yerevan said the Azeri military began advancing into Armenian territory, threatening the highway that connects the Armenian capital with the country’s southern regions and Iran. Baku pinned the blame on Yerevan, saying the Armenian armed forces had staged a provocation by attacking Azeri positions.

In response to the events, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu held phone talks with his counterparts in Armenia and Azerbaijan. The situation later returned to normal after Azerbaijan and Armenia sought to stabilize it, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.

Pashinyan: unblocking of all transport links beneficial to both Armenia and Azerbaijan

Kanayan Tamar
Vestnik Kavkaza
Dec 9 2021
 9 Dec in 11:20

The authorities of Armenia have expressed their interest in the unblocking of all transport links several times, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in response to deputies’ questions during the question-and-answer session with government officials in parliament.

The PM particularly stated that Azerbaijan will be able to ensure road and railway communications with Nakhchivan through Armenia’s territory.

"In its turn, Armenia will have railway communication with Iran and Russia through Azerbaijan’s territory. We believe it is necessary to solve the current problems with this very logic. We are also certain that the points enshrined in the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs derive from our national interests," News.am cited Pashinyan as saying.

Lavrov calls for starting delimitation of Armenian-Azerbaijani border as soon as possible

Garo Vardanian
Vestnik Kavkaza
Dec 9 2021
 9 Dec in 12:40

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a telephone conversation with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan on Wednesday that it was necessary to ensure that the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border was launched as soon as possible, the Russian Foreign Ministry said

According to the statement, the foreign ministers discussed a set of bilateral, regional and international issues, paying particular attention to the progress in implementing the Sochi agreements of November 26, 2021 reached by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia.

The Russian ministry said Lavrov emphasized the need to ensure that the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border with its subsequent demarcation started as soon as possible. He also called for unblocking transport and economic ties between the two countries.

The Aliyev family privatised Nagorno-Karabakh’s occupied territories

Hambik Zargarian
Dec 9 2021
by GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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Construction work is underway in the territories of Nagorno-Karabakh occupied by Azerbaijan, and it is the ruling Aliyev family who benefits the most

On May 12 and August 29 of this year, the opening ceremony of hotels in Nagorno-Karabakh were held in the Armenian city of Shushi, currently occupied by Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady (Vice President) Mehriban Aliyeva on August 29 at the reconstructed “Karabakh” hotel in Shushi.

On October 10, the opening ceremony of the airport took place in the Armenian city of Varanda, which Azerbaijan currently occupies and calls Fuzuli.

Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the opening of the international airport in occupied Varanda.

It is noteworthy that the ruling Aliyev family is monitoring the progress of all construction works, as well as participating in the opening ceremonies.

All construction work is carried out only with their permission and according to their taste. Although in this case it is normal, because all this is being built for them.

But it is not normal that all this is being built with state funds, while there are schools in Azerbaijan where children study in inhumane conditions.

This is the school of the largest village of the Terter district, Azad Qaraqoyunlu, near the border with Nagorno-Karabakh.

Six years ago, an article was published about this school in which they sounded the alarm that it was in an unsuitable state for education, but since then nothing has changed at the school.

There are still many schools and other state structures in Azerbaijan, which are in such a deplorable state but which Azerbaijanis are afraid to speak out loud about because for voicing such problems in Azerbaijan, you can easily lose your job or end up behind bars.

Well, now answer a simple question: why did Azerbaijani soldiers die in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020.

And this time the question is not which side suffered the most losses – the Armenian or the Azerbaijani, but that the Armenians died defending their land, their family and homes.

The Azerbaijanis died so that the Aliyev family could build a recreation area there for the corrupt Azerbaijani authorities.

In this life, Aliyev is interested in only two things – money and power, and for the sake of both he is ready to sacrifice the lives and living conditions of ordinary Azerbaijanis.

Arthur Petrosyan is Editor-in-chief of INFOTEKA24 news and is a political expert.

Azerbaijan Says Soldier Killed in Clashes With Armenia

Ani Tigranian
Dec 9 2021
 STAFF WRITER WITH AFP   DECEMBER 9, 2021

 

An Azerbaijani soldier has died in a shootout with Armenian forces, officials in Baku said Thursday, two weeks after the arch-foe countries held talks on easing tensions following their war last year.

The ex-Soviet Caucasus neighbors fought last autumn a six-week war over the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh which has claimed more than 6,500 lives.

Hostilities ended last November with a Russian-brokered ceasefire under which Yerevan ceded swathes of territory it had controlled for decades.

Baku’s defense ministry said an Azerbaijani soldier “was killed overnight as a result of a provocation by Armenia’s armed forces” near the countries’ shared border.

“Full responsibility for the escalation lies with Armenia’s political and military leaders,” the ministry said in a statement.

Armenia, meanwhile, said Baku had opened fire on its positions on Wednesday night on the eastern part of their shared border.

It called on Azerbaijan to “refrain from provocative actions.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met for rare face-to-face talks under the mediation of Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.

The talks focused on resolving disputes left over from last year’s war, and were hailed by all sides as positive.

The trio met less than two weeks after the worst fighting since the Karabakh war killed six Armenian troops and seven Azerbaijani soldiers.

They discussed demarcation issues between the two Caucasus countries, as Yerevan accuses Baku’s forces of intruding into its sovereignty territory.

They also addressed the issue of rebuilding Soviet-era transport links between Azerbaijan and Armenia which are currently closed by a mutual blockade.

On December 4, Azerbaijan freed 10 Armenian soldiers it had captured during border clashes last month.

Aliyev and Pashinyan are to meet again in Brussels on December 15 for talks mediated by the European Council President Charles Michel.

Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, and an ensuing conflict claimed around 30,000 lives.