Category: 2022

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Armenia.

Minister Mirzoyan drew the ambassadors’ attention to the situation resulting from the provocative and aggressive actions by Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh in recent days. He noted that the Azerbaijani armed forces, once again violating the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020, signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, carried out aggression in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces, as a result of which nineteen servicemen of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defence Army were injured and two were killed.

The Foreign Minister emphasized that the Azerbaijani side has officially and openly assumed responsibility for the aggression, which is clearly evidenced by the statements of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, as well as the violations recorded by the Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Minister Mirzoyan noted that the aggression carried out by Azerbaijan was preceded by the letter submitted to the Russian peacekeeping contingent on the transfer of control over the Lachin Corridor, according to which the Azerbaijani side plans to change the currently operating route through the Lachin Corridor, which is a gross violation of the Trilateral Statement of November 9 as the 6th point of the Statement clearly reads that the plan for the construction of a new traffic route through the Lachin Corridor connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh should be decided by the agreement of the parties (i.e. Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan) within the next three years, while there is no such plan approved in a trilateral format yet.

Ararat Mirzoyan also stressed that the Azerbaijani authorities respond to the Armenian efforts to achieve stability and peace in the region with Armeophobic rhetoric, aggressive statements, and open threats to use force. He considered unacceptable the continuous policy of the Azerbaijani side to subject the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing. 

The Foreign Minister of Armenia also touched upon the humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war, which are still not addressed, stressing that the Azerbaijani side continues to hold Armenian prisoners of war and civilians in violation of the provisions of international humanitarian law.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia reiterated the position of the Armenian side towards the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, which is the only international format mandated by the UN Security Council.

It was also emphasized that in order to support the agenda of the Armenian side to achieve peace in the South Caucasus, coordinated and unanimous assistance of the international community is necessary.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following with concern recent reports of tensions in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily briefing. .

“While we are not in a position to confirm or verify such reports, we urge the sides to exercise restraint and address all outstanding issues through dialogue,” said the spokesman.

Two Armenian servicemen were killed, 19 were wounded as Azerbaijan resorted to provocations starting from August 1. The attempts by the Azerbaijani units to cross the line of contact in Artsakh were prevented by the Defense Army.

I am appalled by the recent serious breaches of the ceasefire on the Nagorno-Karabakh line of contact and in particular the military operation launched by Azerbaijan on 3 August around the Lachin corridor and in the north-western section, Chair of the EU Delegation for relations with the South Caucasus, MEP
Marina Kaljurand said in a statement.

“As admitted by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense, its operation included airstrikes by UAVs and resulted in the capturing of a number of advantageous new positions beyond the line of contact,” she said.

“I deplore the loss of life on both sides and urge an immediate halt to the use of force. I call on all actors to show utmost restraint and stress that all military units must retreat to their positions in line with the trilateral statement of 9 November 2020,” Marina Kaljurand said.

“Azerbaijan and Armenia have a historic opportunity to end decades of conflict and lay the
foundations for a peaceful and prosperous region. I urge all parties concerned to avoid any
actions undermining trust and threatening the negotiations at this crucial point in time,” she stated.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) condemns Azerbaijan’s latest attack against Artsakh, calling for the immediate withdrawal of Aliyev’s troops.

Chairman Menendez’s tweet reads:

“Azerbaijan’s deadly attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh are not only in violation of the ceasefire but also an unacceptable continuation of its recent pattern of aggression. Azerbaijani forces must withdraw from the region & end hostilities against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Two Armenian soldiers were killed, 19 were wounded in Azerbaijan’s fresh attack against Artsakh.

Eight men have been arrested after a group of protesters stormed the Azerbaijani embassy in London, Metro reports.

Footage on social media showed men waving flags from the balcony of the country’s base in Kensington.

Slogans in Arabic were daubed on the wall and the Azerbaijani flag was taken down.

It’s unclear what sparked the protest but it was led by a group called The Mahdi Servants Union.

It is a Shia Muslim organization based in London which says it wants to establish ‘civilizational dominance’ on its website.

Members linked to the group have cited ‘persecution’ by the Azerbaijani government of some Shia Muslims in the country.

In a statement, the group said it had been directed by their leader ‘to take urgent action’ against Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev.

Leader of the group Yasser Al-Habib, who was granted asylum in the UK after coming into conflict with the authorities in his native Kuwait, runs a mosque in Buckinghamshire.

Azerbaijani MP Gudrat Hasanguliyev made a confession about the Azerbaijani state policy aimed at the ethnic cleansing of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan reveals.

In particular, the lawmaker stated that “Armenia should put an end to its territorial ambitions towards Azerbaijan and stop supporting the bloody separatism of Karabakh. Unless this is done, we should not recognize their (the population of Nagorno-Karabakh) right to life in peace.” Subsequently, the MP stated that in the current situation it is not possible for Armenians to live in Azerbaijan.

Another deputy, Fazil Mustafaev, echoing his colleague, also directly threatened the physical existence of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“In reality, there are a number of examples and proofs of the Azerbaijani policy of ethnic hatred and ethnic cleansing of Armenians, however, it is striking that high-level officials representing the Azerbaijani leadership are making these statements amid provocations carried out by their armed forces in recent days, as a result of which two Armenian servicemen were killed and 19 others were injured,” the Ombudswoman said.

“It is a fact the right to life of the peaceful population of Nagorno-Karabakh is not guaranteed, and the Azerbaijani officials are directly confirming that,” she said.

The Ombudsperson has shared this information with foreign colleagues, as well as with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), which in the coming days will review Azerbaijan’s periodic report on the implementation of the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.