Armenian, Russian Defense Ministers discuss situation in Nagorno Karabakh
23:11, 24 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Armenian and Russian Defense Ministers, Suren Papikyan and Sergei Shoigu, held e telephone conversation on March 24, the Russian defense ministry said.
The ministers discussed the situation in the region and in the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as other issues of mutual interest.
09:45,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a telephone conversation on March 24 with Karen Donfried, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a news release.
The sides discussed regional security-related issues.
The Armenian FM presented the current situation in Artsakh after Azerbaijan violated the line of contact and infiltrated into Parukh village on March 24. The minister said Azerbaijan grossly violates the commitments assumed by the trilateral statements, endangering the regional peace and stability. He also presented Azerbaijani actions on targeting the civilian population, using psychological pressures and deliberately obstructing the normal operation of vital infrastructures aimed at creating a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh.
FM Mirzoyan stated that these actions are one of the vivid demonstrations of Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleaning and anti-Armenian policy. In this sense the minister stressed the need for the addressed and clear response by the international community, including the United States.
Both sides highlighted taking steps aimed at de-escalation of the situation.
Ararat Mirzoyan also presented the position of the Armenian side on starting negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan around a peace agreement.
The sides also discussed the Armenia-Turkey dialogue process.
09:59,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. The infiltration of Azerbaijani military forces into the village of Pharukh of Askeran region of Artsakh on March 24 is the logical continuation of criminal policy of Azerbaijan, Human Rights Defender of Armenia Kristinne Grigoryan said in a statement on social media.
“Today’s infiltration of Azerbaijani military forces into the village of Pharukh of Askeran region of the Republic of Artsakh is the logical continuation of criminal policy of Azerbaijan.
In breach of all well-known norms of international law this behavior continues weeks and months – through the various acts of intimidation, terrorization and creation of unbearable conditions for normal life of people of Artsakh. This penetration is yet another proof of the fact that the weeks-long targeting of the population of Khramort village didn’t bring the desired result – people didn’t leave their homeland, so Azerbaijan applied to its well-proven behavior which is the provocation.
It is a shameful fact that the ethnic cleansing policy of Artsakh is the state priority of Azerbaijan which undermines the fulfillment of the obligations of international law and infringes the signatures of that country put under its legally binding commitments.
The “uncomfortable” silence of international community about voicing out the human rights violations is not being remedied by real actions to address the situation. Meanwhile the people of Artsakh have same rights as humans in any other part of the world.
I strongly condemn the criminal behavior of Azerbaijan and call on international human rights organizations and actors to ACT to STOP this genocidal policy towards people of Artsakh”, the statement says.
Azerbaijan’s criminal and impudent behavior a slap to civilized humanity – Artsakh Ombudsman
10:23,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan’s criminal and impudent behavior is a slap in the face to all civilized humanity, which remains persistently silent, Ombudsman of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan said in a statement on social media.
“The genocidal acts committed against the Armenians of Artsakh at the beginning of the 20th century, the 70-year persecution of the Armenians after the annexation of Artsakh to Soviet Azerbaijan in 1921, the systematic discrimination and ethnic hatred, the atrocities committed by Azerbaijan since 1988 in Sumgait, Baku, Gandzak-Kirovabad and other places to suppress the free _expression_ of will of the Armenians of Artsakh, the war imposed in the 1990s, the 2016 April aggression, the 44-day war of 2020, which is full of war crimes, all the criminal actions taken by the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan since November 9, 2020 are an attempt to nullify the collective measures taken by the international community over decades after the Second World War to prevent such crimes.
Azerbaijan is openly, publicly giving a “master class on the destruction and deportation of a concrete ethnic group” to the world, which even fails to make condemning statements. That is why Azerbaijan is developing its arsenal of tools and means of committing crimes almost every day, that is why the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, openly violating the provisions of the Trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, dare to occupy civilian communities, to leave more than 120,000 people without heating and hot water, forcibly displace them. It can be listed endlessly.
Such arguments of the Azerbaijani side considering the disruption of gas supply and the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from it as a matter of its internal affairs were once made by the leadership of Nazi Germany during the Nuremberg trial to justify the atrocity crimes.
Dear representatives of the international community, the facts and evidence are more than enough to enforce the principle of “responsibility to protect” adopted to prevent genocide, crimes against humanity, and mass crimes, to recognize the Artsakh Republic and save the Armenians of Artsakh from ethnic cleansing and genocide.
Please, finally realize that there is no other option; the criminal must be punished and not negotiated with”, the statement says.
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10:27,
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. On March 24, the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces, in gross violation of the requirements of the 2020 November 10 trilateral statement, infiltrated into the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeeping troops in the Republic of Artsakh, by taking under their control the village of Parukh in Askeran region and the adjacent positions, then attempted to ensure advancement in the eastern border of the Republic of Artsakh, the Defense Ministry of Artsakh said in a statement.
“The negotiations by the Russian peacekeeping troops and the relevant authorities of Artsakh, which lasted for hours, didn’t give significant results, and the Azerbaijani forces didn’t return to their initial positions. Moreover, in the night of March 25, the Azerbaijani units opened fire at the Defense Army’s units, using both various caliber firearms and an attacking drone.
As a result of the skirmish, at least 5 servicemen were killed from the adversary side. The Armenian side has one wounded. As of 09:00, the situation is relatively stable. We expect that the Russian peacekeepers will take measures to return the Azerbaijani units to their initial positions”, the statement says.
10:31,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Karen Donfried, US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, held telephone conversations with Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, the State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs said on Twitter.
“The US is deeply concerned about gas disruptions and Azerbaijan’s troop movements. Armenia and Azerbaijan need to use direct communications channels to immediately de-escalate”, the statement says.
On March 24, the units of the Azerbaijani armed forces, in gross violation of the requirements of the 2020 November 10 trilateral statement, infiltrated into the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeeping troops in the Republic of Artsakh, by taking under their control the village of Parukh in Askeran region and the adjacent positions, then attempted to ensure advancement in the eastern border of the Republic of Artsakh.
The authorities of Artsakh said that the main pipeline supplying gas from Armenia to Artsakh was damaged on March 7 and the supply stopped. The Artsakh authorities had said the area where the damage occurred was in Azerbaijani-controlled territory. It was reported that the Azerbaijani military deliberately damaged the pipeline. The Azerbaijani authorities obstructed repair works for days. Only on March 16 the authorities in Artsakh announced that the Azerbaijani side itself began the repair work. However, days later, the gas supply was cut again. Authorities said they have reasons to believe that during the repairs the Azeri authorities installed a valve on the pipeline in order to shut it down whenever they want.
11:01,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani incursion which began on March 24 in the section of the village of Parukh in Askeran region – the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno Karabakh – still continues, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The foreign ministry added that the Azerbaijani military units that invaded the area opened fire overnight at Defense Army positions.
“The situation in Nagorno Karabakh remains tense,” it said.
“We expect that the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation will take measures to ensure the immediate withdrawal of the invading Azerbaijani military units from the area of responsibility of the Russian Federation’s peacekeeping contingent, which should mean the return of the Azerbaijani units to their initial positions of March 23,” the foreign ministry added.
11:20,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory letter to Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis on the occasion of the country’s national day, Pashinyan’s Office said.
“Your Excellency,
On behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, and on my personal behalf, I cordially congratulate you on the national holiday of the Hellenic Republic, Independence Day.
The warmest bilateral interstate relations established between our two countries is evidenced by the sincere and effective cooperation based on unwavering friendship, mutual respect and confidence between the Armenian and Greek fraternal peoples, which we highly appreciate and value.
I am convinced that the rich experience gained over the decades and the rich multi-sectoral agenda provide wide opportunities for the discovery and comprehensive use of the full potential of the Armenian-Greek cooperation, raising them to a qualitatively new level both bilaterally and multilaterally.
I am hopeful that in the near future we will have the opportunity to personally discuss the prospects of cooperation between our two countries.
I wish you, Your Excellency, good health and success, and progress and prosperity to the friendly people of Greece”, reads the letter of the Prime Minister of Armenia.
11:22,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. 22 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total number of confirmed cases to 422,423, the Armenian Ministry of Healthcare said.
3 people died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the death toll to 8607.
58 people recovered (total recoveries: 409,693).
2430 tests were conducted (total tests: 2,961,990).
12:35,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. On March 24, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, grossly violating the ceasefire regime, crossed the Line of Contact with the Republic of Artsakh and invaded the village of Parukh in the Askeran region of Artsakh. The adversary has undertaken provocations also in the direction of the settlement of Khramort of the same region, the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh said in a statement released today.
“Moreover, on the night of March 25, Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire on the units of the Artsakh Defense Army, using both firearms of different calibers and attacking drones (UCAV).
The above actions are the logical continuation of the recent terrorist campaign initiated by the Azerbaijani authorities, which manifests itself in the exertion of psychological pressure on the civilian population, periodic violations of the ceasefire regime, disruption of the operation of the only gas pipeline feeding Artsakh, resulting in a dire humanitarian situation in the Republic of Artsakh.
All these actions carried out by Azerbaijan are nothing but a state-orchestrated policy of ethnic cleansing aimed at the complete eviction of Armenians from Artsakh.
Azerbaijan’s geopolitical goals are obvious: to intimidate the people of Artsakh, to strike at the Russian peacekeeping mission, to make the Transcaucasus a platform of pan-Turkism and extremism for the implementation of far-fetching programs in the future.
The international community and specialized international organizations should assess Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian policy in the strictest terms. Indifference and inaction will have the most severe consequences for the entire civilized world.
The people of Artsakh continue to stand firmly on their land. They will never give up their homeland and will never retreat to the vileness and insidious tricks of the enemy”, the statement says.